Running Head: Psychosocial Development
An Analysis of the Stages
of Psychosocial Development
Shanniel Morrison
Rutgers University
Do you believe that interaction with our social environment affects our success in growth and maturity? The answer is yes. A significant part of one’s psychological development is dependent and influenced by he or she’s psychosocial experiences. The word psychosocial is defined as involving both psychological and social aspects and/or relating social conditions to mental health. The term refers to an individual’s psychological in and interaction with a social environment. Many factors of one’s overall psychological health are manipulated by social influence, from realizing and creating an idea of “self”, to developing long lasting social bonds and friendships, and even coping with different situations. To dismiss social interaction from a developing person can be extremely harmful and detrimental to one’s growth.
The theory of psychosocial development was created and introduced by Erik Erikson. Erik Erikson was one of the most prominent psychoanalytic theorists ever. A follower of Sigmund Freud, he studied under Freud’s daughter Anna. He is most popular for his writings on child psychology. He developed a stage theory much like Freud's Stages of Psychosexual development, but unlike Freud’s emphasis on sexual impulses, Erikson was concerned more with the social aspects of development. He developed his theory of Psychosocial Development where he separates the span of human life into stages. Through his theories, the term “identity crisis” was originated, because he saw each stage as having either a negative or a positive outcome, establishing a crisis at each stage of development.
Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development has eight distinct stages, each with two possible outcomes. According to the theory, successful completion of each stage ends up in a healthy personality and successful...