Psychosocial theories 2 Flashcards
Neoanalytic theories
Neoanalytic theories of personality focus on Ego (self)
Focus is on centrality of relations with others for personality development
Issues of ‘trust’ permeate these theories
Behaviour / personality difficulties rooted in relationship issues
Many different theories with some overlap:
• Patterns of relating to others established in early childhood
• Patterns recur throughout life
The influence of social phenomena
- Erikson: Psychosocial theory of personality
2. Bronfenbrenner: Bio-ecological systems theory
Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory
Ideas based on Freudian theory (neoanalytical)
focuses on the impact of social phenomena
on ego identity (sense of self)
complex relationships between individual &
surrounding family & culture
development occurs across the lifespan
Erikson’s theory: Part 1
Main task is to achieve a sense of identity or
self (ego psychologist)
Development unfolds across a sequence of stages
Need to resolve issues/crises at these stages in our lives
i.e. there are critical points in our development
Environment/experience affects how issues are resolved
Ever-widening circle of influence
Erikson’s theory: Part 2
Crisis = a turning point
• a period when potential for growth is high
• but there is also vulnerability
Struggle between attaining a psychological quality, and failing to attain a quality (pair of opposed psychological qualities)
If the crisis of one stage is resolved, then we develop competence, and better able to face the next stage. If not, we develop inadequacy, and the ability to function and cope is affected, although it does not mean complete failure in the successive stage.
Theoretical Issues 1
Although crisis may be at the forefront (most intense) at any one time, all issues/tensions are active throughout life cycle.
Each crisis, if favourably traversed, culminates in set of ‘essential strengths’
Given ‘right’ relational experiences, development emerges as part of a ground plan for each stage
Theoretical Issues 2
Implications:
Outcome of earlier crisis influences orientation to later one
Solutions for crisis prepare one for upcoming crises
Once quality established, it remains part of personality
Resolutions of previous crises may however, be reshaped at each new stage
Personality is not static but dynamic & constantly being modified
Forces that move us from stage to stage are
biological maturation & social expectation
0-1 y.o. Basic trust vs mistrust : Hope
Child is dependent on others to meet needs
A sense of trust requires a feeling of physical comfort & minimum experience of pain, uncertainty & fear.
With this assurance infant can accept new
experiences willingly – the world is safe
A sense of mistrust arises from unsatisfactory physical & psychological experiences creating fearful apprehension.
Acquisition of hope is foundation for all later development = optimism
2-3 y.o. - Autonomy vs shame and doubt : Will
Getting more control over actions
Battle between child’s desire to exercise a
choice, his/her will and do it “my way” and “all by myself” and his/her ongoing dependency together with society’s regulations
Needs to achieve a sense of self-direction
From a sense of self-control without loss of self-esteem comes a lasting sense of self
determination & pride.
Cooperative rather than stubborn or defiant behaviour may then develop.
2-3 y.o. - Autonomy vs shame and doubt : Will
Getting more control over actions
Battle between child’s desire to exercise a
choice, his/her will and do it “my way” and “all
by myself” and his/her ongoing dependency
together with society’s regulations
Needs to achieve a sense of self-direction
From a sense of self-control without loss of selfesteem comes a lasting sense of self
determination & pride.
Cooperative rather than stubborn or defiant
behaviour may then develop.
3-5 y.o. Initiative vs guilt: Purpose
Maturation of physical & mental abilities:
physical exuberance, lots of talking and questions, vigorous locomotion, curiosity; explore and manipulate their world
Need opportunity to take initiative and make independent decisions. Child’s behaviour is often experienced by adults as intrusive, daring, curious, competitive and showing off
Danger = sense of guilt over goals contemplated & acts initiated from a sense of exuberant enjoyment of ones physical & mental powers
Basis for a sense of power in the world.
A sense of moral responsibility, direction & purpose can develop.
6-12 y.o. Industry vs inferiority: Competence
Children during school years are urged to develop skills to become productive members of society
Adequacy of performance constantly being evaluated
Erikson viewed this period as reflecting a personal conflict mastering tasks set by others, or be judged incompetent
The crisis was named “industry vs inferiority” & is basis for sense of value, citizenship
Positive outcome = competence
Sense one has ability to do things society values
12-18 y.o. Identity vs role confusion: Fidelity
Starts around puberty & may continue well into
20’s??
Huge pressures exerted on individual by physical
changes accompanying puberty
Expectation that meaningful choices about future life directions will be made
Crisis of this stage = knowing who we are & achieving an inner sense of identity - an integrated sense of private & social self - rather than role confusion
Fidelity - ability to live up to who you are; true to
yourself
Adolescences - Adulthood
Young Adulthood (20s to 30s??)
Intimacy vs Isolation
– Basis for close, warm relationships & developing
strength of love
Mid-Adulthood (40s to 60s)
Generativity vs Stagnation
– Basis for positively influencing the future & developing strength of care
– Could be: having children, teaching others, role model, teaching skills to next generation
Late Adulthood
Ego Identity (integrity) vs Despair
– Basis for sense of order and meaning in life & developing strength of wisdom
The Balance
Epigenetic principle: blueprint or readiness for each crisis at birth
People negotiate each stage by developing a balance of the qualities e.g. trust versus mistrust
Not as simple as to assume entirely the ‘good’ quality
Ego needs to incorporate both sides of the conflict, but with a balance towards the positive value
In resolving one crisis you are moving towards handling the next
BUT resolutions are revisited and reshaped at each stage of life
Implications of Erikson’s theory
Personality continues to develop throughout life
Personality is constantly strongly influenced by the environment e.g. parenting, significant relationships
Certain issues or crises to be faced at each stage, and can provide opportunities to help resolve these issues
McAdams – people construct their identities as narratives or life stories. This story is constantly being rewritten. Early chapters set the scene, but as chapters unfold, characters can reinterpret earlier
events and make sense of them in different ways. Final narrative has aspects qualities of all
Erikson’s link to other psychosocial theories
Issues of trust permeate all theories • Object relation theories imply a sense of trust required for an investment of energy in others • Trust is a key issue in secure attachment
Problems in behaviour
Problems are rooted in relationship issues
Narcissism may stem from inadequate childhood
mirroring (Kohut)
Insecure attachment creates risk for depression
Therapy
Play therapy techniques for children
Emphasis on role of relationships
Desire to restore sense of connectedness with others
Therapist uses role to allow patient to reorganise
problematic parts of self and ways of relating to others
Bio-ecological model
Development occurs within a complex
system of relationships affected by multiple
levels of the surrounding environment
Acknowledges the biological in setting the
potential, but focus on the impact of social
and cultural factors
A set of nested structures, each inside the
next, like a set of Russian dolls
Bio-ecological model - microsystem
Innermost level; immediate surroundings e.g. family, childcare, school, work, neighbourhood, religious affiliation Influence is bi-directional
Bio-ecological model - mesosystem
Connections between microsystems that affect
development e.g. communication between home
and school; work life balance; peer group and
parental influence
Bio-ecological model - exosystem
Social settings that do not contain the child/person but nonetheless affect experiences in immediate settings e.g. school board decisions, workplace systems, economic systems, political systems, education system, government system, religious system
Bio-ecological model - macrosystem
The laws, values, customs of
culture e.g. wider policies (e.g.
apartheid); cultural values around
individualism vs collectivism
Bio-ecological model - chronosystem
Influence of time, such as specific events and changes in culture or the child over time e.g. parental separation at a particular time in child’s life, world events and
movements
Implications
More in-depth understanding, acknowledging levels of influence
Multiple levels of support/intervention
• E.g. working mum struggling with new-born child who
is temperamentally difficult
Micro: work with partner to provide support
Exo: access to parenting groups and support
Macro: social policy that facilitates paid parental leave
