Famed Psychologist Doctor Erik Erikson was born to Danish parents at the turn of the century in 1902, during his life he lived through the Nazi rule of his home town of Frankfurt Germany. After Immigrating to America he then studied and practiced at Harvard in the 30’s. He has help explain in detail how personalities can be formed in his theory of 8 unique stages of development of the human personality. His unique perspective of human thought and reason helped coin the phrase “identity crisis” as it will be portrayed in this article through the use of fictional characters.
The applied study of Erikson’s Theory
Introduction
Erik Erikson was born to Danish parents in 1902 in Frankfurt Germany. One not so surprising reason for …show more content…
During this stage, the school age child will develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities through the encouragement and praise given to them by their parents and teachers. If this is not achieved, the child will be left with a feelings of doubt related to their abilities to contribute to society. Stephanie Tanner from the television show Full House exemplifies this stage of development. She is constantly seeking praise and encouragement from her family for her schoolwork and contributions to the household.
The next stage of Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development is identity versus confusion. The adolescent will spend much time exerting their independence and sense of self. If the adolescent is successful in this stage, they will emerge with a sense of self, independence and control over their future; however, if they fail during this stage, they will feel insecure and confused about themselves and their future (Hockenberry, & Wilson, 2007). An example of a character on television who is experiencing this stage is Jake from Two and a Half Men. In each episode, he struggles with who he is as a …show more content…
During this stage, the elderly person reflects back on their life and what they have done. If one is proud of their accomplishments, they will feel a sense of integrity; however if one feels like their life was wasted, they will be left with feelings of despair and bitterness (Hockenberry, & Wilson, 2007). Marie and Frank Barone from the television show Everybody Loves Raymond are excellent examples of this stage of development. At least once per episode, one of the two reflects back on the past and either feels proud or discouraged by that