Chapter 3 Flashcards
The Rationale for Emphasizing Psychosocial Theory
Addresses growth across the life span
Assumes that individuals have capacity to contribute to their own psychological development
Takes into consideration the active contribution of culture to individual growth
Case Study – Erik Erikson (slide 1 of 3) Reflections
Why did Erikson feel like a “stranger in his own culture?”
What are the biological, psychological, and societal factors that contributed to Erikson’s identity crises?
What factors from childhood appear to influence Erikson’s experiences as an adolescent?
Case Study – Erik Erikson (slide 2 of 3) Reflections
Who are the significant figures in Erikson’s life/the radius of significant others?
What factors might have contributed to Erikson’s ability to cope with the challenges of this period of his life, eventually finding a direction and meaning to which he could commit his talent and energy?
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Psychosocial evolution
Proposed by Julian Huxley
Range of abilities that allows us to gather knowledge from our ancestors and transmit it to our descendants
Basic Concepts of Psychosocial Theory
Six basic concepts Stages of development
- Developmental tasks
- Stages of development
- Psychosocial crisis
- The central process for resolving the psychosocial crisis at each stage
- A radiating network of significant relationships
- Coping behavior
Developmental Tasks (slide 1 of 2) Havighurst’s concept of developmental tasks
Process by which humans learn tasks required by society to which they are adapting
Society has age-graded expectations Tasks change with age
Psychosocial Crises (slide 1 of 2) Psychosocial crises
State of tension that results from discrepancies between the person’s competences at the beginning of the stage and society’s expectations
From these conflicts, new social capabilities are produced
Psychosocial Crises of the Life Stages
Most people experience both positive and negative elements of the continuum
Contribute to the person’s adaptive capacities
Outcome of the crisis is integration of the two opposing forces
Succession of crises occurs in a predictable sequence
Epigenetic principle
Applying Theory and Research to Life
Conway & Holmes asked adults to recall memories from each decade of their lives
Memories were coded for the degree they related to psychosocial crises
Self is reorganized around different goals at various stages of life
The Central Processes for Resolving the Psychosocial Crises
Psychosocial crisis?
Reflects discrepancy between developmental competencies at the beginning of a stage and new societal pressures
Central process
Suggests a way that the person takes in cultural expectations and changes self-concept
Example: Imitation in toddlerhood
Radius of Significant Relationships
Age-related demands on individuals are communicated through significant relationships
Over the lifespan, the radius of the circle expands
In adulthood, the radius condenses to a few significant relationships
Coping
Refers to people’s conscious, adaptive efforts to manage:
Stressful events
Emotions associated with the stressors
Begins with appraisal
Results in prime adaptive ego qualities or core pathologies
Evaluation of Psychosocial Theory
Strengths
Highlights social nature of human development
Provides broad, integrative context Weaknesses
Explanations of the mechanisms are not well developed
Number of stages and links to biologically-based development
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A Recap of Psychosocial Theory
Which phenomena is the theory trying to explain?
What assumptions does the theory make? What does the theory predict?
A Recap of Psychosocial Theory
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