Erikson 8 stages of life cycle PDF

Preview

Summary

ssignments are not required to be written in APA format; however, they must be written in proper essay format, Word attachment in the dropbox under each assigned week. This includes your name, assignment number in upper left hand corner. A rubric is provided under assignments and grading tab. Assign...

Description

Junhan An Erikson’s 8 Stages of Life Cycle

February 10, 2019

Erikson’s psychosocial development emphasized on experiencing identity crisis during the development. Erikson’s theory is another form of post-Freudian theory. However, suggested eight stages of the life cycle with the different psychosocial crisis in each stage. By using Erikson’s eight stages of life cycle, I was able to formulate lists of concerns or crisis during each stage of my life. Erikson’s version of Freud’s phallic phase is the play age or the genital-locomotor. Around the ages of 5, children focus on developing language skills, curiosity, imagination, and the ability to set goals. On the first day of kindergarten, my biggest crisis was leaving my mother’s arms when she dropped me off school. It was a difficult task to be initiated on something I have not faced before. It wasn’t until the end of the day when I was intrigued about the new experiences I have encountered. I wanted to be back at school where I can play with new friends and learn something new. The next stage is the school age. According to Erikson, this is when the social world of children expands beyond the family. You begin to make more relationships at school and start to form a picture of themselves as competent or incompetent. The self-image or Freud would call it ego identity heightens at this stage. On my first day of junior high school, I was overwhelmed and engulfed by my personal ego identity. I wanted to dress by myself and started to care about other’s views. I remember I was striving to be the class clown and wanted to be adored by everyone in the class. I would purposely act up in order to put a smile in everyone’s face. I can say I enjoyed the attention and thought that was the only way to have everyone on my side. It was comforting and strongly believed it was my purpose in school. Adolescence stage starts roughly after high school graduation. Erikson stated that by this stage a firm sense of ego identity is established. However, the crisis between identity and identity confusion increases. According to Erikson young people reject rules and standards from their elders. Their social contexts encourage the values of peer groups and use this to describe puberty. In my experience, I believed I knew everything and always doubted advice given to me by my parents. I thought I knew exactly what route I needed to take to be “successful”, but now realize I didn’t have a personal definition of success. I was surrounded by new friends from all over the world in college and had concerns with identity confusion. There so much more type of people in this world and felt lost about who I was. Throughout the course of my college years, the young adulthood stage starts. Where the genitality develops and mature. The value of intimacy and isolation forms. It is the basic stage of love and the ability to share mutual trust. I can remember when I was 22 around the time, I should have graduated from college, I was alone in the world of the Army. Thrown away in a new country with only support system being my co-workers was tough. It was a battle of conforming to fabricate an identity versus personal isolation. I had to make a choice if I wanted and needed to develop mutual trust with other soldiers. I have witnessed many relationships that lacked intimacy in the Army. I would see people act friendly and caring only to bad mouth behind each other’s back. I decided to juggle both intimacy and isolation by not getting myself too involved in either. Looking back, I don’t regret my decision because I was able to form some kind of friendship and self-development through isolation. Looking forward into my 10-year high reunion I would still be at the young adulthood stage according to Erikson. Similar to my time spent in the Army I would still be concerned with

the level of intimacy I would need to form with the people I would meet in the reunion. Old high school friends are very delicate subject to deal with because at one point in my life they were the closest thing to me. I have not seen or contacted them in 10 years and it would be difficult to fill in the 10-year gap that we have been separated for. However, I’m looking forward to seeing and learning about the emotions I will feel on that day. Next stage described by Erikson is adulthood. At this stage, people are established and placed in society. The sense of responsibility heightens and is also the longest stages of the life cycle. 30-year high school reunion would come around and I imagine the tension to dissipate compared to the 10-year reunion. The idea of impressing others through their personal means would disappear because by then everyone would have someone else who they care more about themselves. It can be their children, wives, or parents, but I believe caring for someone besides yourself would be the priority of my life. I would be concerned about friends who are still lost at this stage. The ones who are still trying to fit into society and assume responsibility. The last stage according to Erikson is the old age stage. We are almost at the end of our lives. Our minds weakened and most importantly our physical strength is unable to keep up anymore. On my 50-year high school reunion, I probably won’t be able to see the same faces I saw in the past 5 reunions. Friends will pass away and everyone is going to accept it. On the positive side, everyone who will be present will be significant to me because I will be able to realize how precious all relationships can be. The basic strength of wisdom is at its peak and I will be aware of the fact that there is no time left to worry about fragments of dramas. Erikson’s eight stages of the life cycle each represented stages and psychosocial crisis that follows with each stage. I was able to view my past and future lives through concerns or crisis instead of thinking about the positive things that will and did happen. It was refreshing to think in such a way because it helped me realize something different. I think that each individual in the society carry such different identity and personalities because they are simply trying to overcome the different life crisis in their respective life stags....