Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

1
Erik Erikson (1902-1994)

• "The personality is engaged with the hazards of
  existence continuously, even as the body's
  metabolism copes with decay."

2
Psychosocial Stages of Development

• Psychosocial the environment the child is in
  interacts with the child's heredity. More than
  just sexuality is involved. Development addresses
  all the areas of one's life.

3
Each stages is characterized by

• A crisis taking the form of a dilemma (ex trust
  vs. mistrust)
• Though one part of the dilemma sounds negative
  (ex mistrust), it is important and needs to be
  integrated.
• For example, one would not want a child to
  approach life with a totally trustful attitude. A
  child needs to have enough savvy to know some
  things can't be trusted, and enough positive
  experiences to have a "basic trust", the
  resulting virtue or strength is hope.

4
Erikson's stages

• In the attached table you will find
• The 8 stages (Freudian equivalents)
• The dilemmas
• The social radius (who do people connect to at
  each stage)
• The dominant ways to relate for each stage
• The virtues/ego strengths that can emerge
• The positive social patterns that develop
  (ritualizations)
• The negative unbalances that can develop
  (ritualisms)

5
For each stage

• Look at how these elements are connected. Create
  examples for each stage.
• How does a particular dilemma resolve itself into
  the development of a given virtue?
• How can a given positive social pattern develop
  (ritualization)?
• How can some things go astray? (ritualisms)

6
Our sense of identity

• Develops progressively through the stages, all
  through our life time.

7
Facets of identity

• Spiritual/religious identity
• Cultural/ethnic identity
• Gender identity
• Professional identity
• Social identity
• Etc

8
Developmental Themes

• The dilemmas that Erikson proposes for the
  developmental stages are truly themes we wrestle
  with all through life, they just get more salient
  at some times.
• For example though most of you are theoretically
  in the intimacy vs. isolation stage, issues of
  hope, will, or purpose are still important.

9
Eriksonian Virtues and Scripture

• In the slides that follow, Erikson's definition
  of a virtue is given (from Insight and
  Responsibility (1964) --New York Norton pp
  118-134).
• Some scriptural considerations follow.
• What connections do you see between psychological
  themes and virtues as Erikson sees them, and
  one's spiritual development as a Christian?

10
What themes are salient for you?

• This link leads you to a set of questions about
  each developmental theme.
• Answer the questions, and score them according to
  the instructions.
• What are the two most salient themes for you at
  this time?

11
About hope

• HOPE is the enduring belief in the attainability
  of fervent wishes, in spite of the dark urges and
  rages which mark the beginning of existence.
• Compare Erikson's definition of hope with the
  definition of faith found in Hebrews 11. What
  dynamics are the same? Of course Hebrew 11 is
  talking about humans in general, not little
  children, but before God we are are small
  children, aren't we? And could some of the
  foundations of our adult faith be rooted in some
  of our experiences as little children?

12
About will

• WILL is the unbroken determination to exercise
  free choice as well as self-restraint, in spite
  of the unavoidable experience of shame and doubt
  in infancy
• What is the positive value of shame? (granted of
  course that we should not build our all identity
  on it) Consider Jeremiah 615 (read around it for
  context). What are the people lacking, and how
  does that get them in trouble?

13
About purpose

• PURPOSE is the courage to envisage and pursue
  valued goals uninhibited by the defeat of
  infantile fantasies, by guilt, and by the foiling
  fear of punishment.
• Guilt is defined in Erikson's theory as "the
  capacity for self-condemnation". It implies both
  cognitive reflective ability, and also the ego
  strength to be able to tolerate that inner
  disapproval. True guilt is healthy.
• Read Psalm 51 and reflect how the guilt
  experienced by the psalmist can be an asset to
  his relationship with God.

14
About competence

• COMPETENCE is the free exercise of dexterity and
  intelligence in the completion of tasks,
  unimpaired by infantile inferiority.
• A good example of competence and the obstacles to
  it can be found in the parable of the Talents MT
  2514-28

15
About fidelity

• FIDELITY is the ability to sustain loyalties
  freely pledged in spite of the inevitable
  contradictions of value systems.
• Perhaps one of the most lovely examples of
  fidelity is the whole story of Ruth (Book of
  Ruth, entire book --promise Ruth 116-18

16
About love

• LOVE is mutuality of devotion forever subduing
  the antagonisms inherent in divided function.
• Read Paul's definition of love in ICor 13

17
About care

• CARE is the widening concern for what has been
  generated by love, necessity or accident it
  overcomes the ambivalence adhering to
  irreversible obligation.
• A widening concern we are to care not just for
  our family, or for those who love us, but for all
  --as all become our neigbors. Look for example at
  the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 1030-37)

18
About wisdom

• WISDOM is detached concern with life itself, in
  the face of death itself.
• This sort of way to look at life in the
  perspective of something greater than us can be
  found in Proverbs 11-7 (and in the rest of the
  book). Though, for a look at life in the face of
  death, go to Ecclesiastes --which is NOT a sad
  and depressed book only a wise one, full of
  paradoxes.

19
The End