6 Erik Erikson: Psychoanalytic Ego-Psychology Flashcards
Where was Erikson born, live, die?
Born in Frankfurt in 1902
Moved to America pre-WWII
Died in America in 1994
Erikson is known as the father of which school of psychology?
Ego psychology
How did Erikson expand on Freud’s theory of the ego?
While Freud viewed human behaviour as the result of a clash between the id, ego and superego, Erikson took the three as a whole and focussed on their interaction with the social world
How did Erikson shift away from the focus on pathology in psychoanalysis?
By examining how the healthy ego might function
Was spracht Erikson about the main role of the ego?
The main role of the ego is to establish and maintain our sense of identity
What are Erikson’s eight developmental psychosocial crises?
- 0–2 years Basic Trust vs. Mistrust
Can I Trust the World? - 2–4 years Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Is It Okay To Be Me? - 4–5 years
Initiative vs. Guilt
Is It Okay For Me To Do, Move and Act? - 5–12 years Industry vs. Inferiority Can I Make It In The World Of People And Things?
- 13–19 years Identity vs. Role Confusion Who Am I? What Can I Be?
- 20–24 years Intimacy vs. Isolation
Can I Love? - 25–64 years Generativity vs. Stagnation
Can I Make My Life Count? - 65-death Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Is It Okay To Have Been Me?
What are the eight virtues that arise from resolving the eight developmental crises?
- 0–2 years Basic Trust vs. Mistrust
Can I Trust the World?
HOPES - 2–4 years Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Is It Okay To Be Me?
WILL - 4–5 years Initiative vs. Guilt
Is It Okay For Me To Do, Move and Act?
PURPOSE - 5–12 years Industry vs. Inferiority Can I Make It In The World Of People And Things?
COMPETENCE - 13–19 years Identity vs. Role Confusion Who Am I? What Can I Be?
FIDELITY - 20–24 years Intimacy vs. Isolation
Can I Love?
LOVE - 25–64 years Generativity vs. Stagnation
Can I Make My Life Count?
CARE - 65-death Ego Integrity vs. Despair
Is It Okay To Have Been Me?
WISDOM
What counts as a successful resolution of a psychosocial crisis?
A person must experience both negative (dystonic: isolation) and positive (systonic: intimacy) aspects of each crisis for healthy personality development. But the positive must outweigh the negative in the final ratio.
How does Berk define identity?
“A well-organised conception of the self made up of values, beliefs and goals to which the individual is solidly committed”
What is an identity crisis?
A period of confusion and distress as the individual experiments with alternatives before settling on a set of values and goals.
How has the term identity crisis been criticised?
Baumister (1990) has suggested that although adolescents question their self-values, most do not experience a crisis. Identity exploration better describes the typical adolescent’s experience.
What is identity synthesis?
The extent to which the various aspects of one’s identity fit together.
What is identity confusion?
A sense of feeling “mixed up,” that is, being unable to enact and maintain lasting commitments to life alternatives and lacking a clear sense of purpose and direction
What is moratorium in Erikson’s theory?
A period of active identity exploration without commitments, typically endorsed socially in early adulthood.
What new paradigm did James Marcia devise to expand on Erikson’s identity achievement vs confusion model of conflict in adolescence?
Marcia developed the “identity status approach” to account for exceptions to Erikson’s identity/diffusion dichotomy.
What are the 4 modes of identity formation –and their empirical outcomes – according to Marcia’s identity status approach?
- Identity diffusion
No commitments made
OUTCOME: Risk of depression and drug use - Identity foreclosure
Adopted others’ (eg. parents) commitments
OUTCOME: Inflexible and vulnerable to cult following - Moratorium
Exploring possibly commitments
OUTCOME: High self-esteem; congruent self - Identity achievement
Made definite commitments
OUTCOME: High self-esteem and congruence
More secure
What is Erikson’s epigenetic approach to identity development?
The individual passes through stages which are genetically determined, yet environmental conditions account for how each stage is mastered.
With whom did Erikson study?
Anna Freud, from 1927
What does the ego acquire through the 8 stages?
Each of the eights stages sees the ego adding new modes of competency for dealing with characteristic ’identity crises’ for that phase of life.
What examples has Erikson given of individuals who have passed successfully through the 8 psychosocial phases?
Martin Luther (1962) and Mahatma Gandhi (1969) - giving rise to the field of psychohistory
How refutable are Erikson’s theories?
For a psychoanalyst, quite a lot. The developmental stages generate hypotheses about basic strengths. And identity formation is also measurable - cf. Marcia.
Are the psychosocial stages unalterable?
Yes, you go through them in a serial sequence, although not necessarily with success at each stage.
NE What are ritualization and ritualism?
Positive outcomes to psychosocial crises yield “ritualizations”, which are recurring patterns of behavior that positively reflect one’s culture. If the positive outcome is so strong as to be distorted than it too can become negative –too much of a good thing –and result in the person developing a “ritualism”, which is a mechanical, exaggerated and stereotyped form of ritualization.
For example in the 6-11 stage…
Ritualization: Formality. There are appropriate ways of doing things (above being simply right or wrong).
Ritualism: Formalism (perfectionism)
And in the Young Adulthood 18-35 stage
Ritualization: Affiliation - “I’m OK, You’re OK”
Ritualism: elitism - status symbols, “Yuppies”
What is Erikson’s triple bookkeeping approach (useful in psychography)?
Analysis of person is split into
Body - biology
Ego - personality
Culture - background
