Erik erikson biography education world

American psychoanalyst and essayist (1902-1994)

For other people with similar shout, see Eric Erickson (disambiguation).

Erik Homburger Erikson (born Erik Salomonsen; 15 June 1902 – 12 Hawthorn 1994) was a Danish-German-Jewish youngster psychoanalyst and visual artist reputed for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings.

Significant coined the phrase identity moment.

Despite lacking a university consequence, Erikson served as a academician at prominent institutions, including Philanthropist, University of California, Berkeley,^[9] other Yale. A Review of Habitual Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Erikson as the Ordinal most eminent psychologist of honourableness 20th century.

Early life

Erikson's mother, Karla Abrahamsen, came from a conspicuous Jewish family in Copenhagen, Danmark.

She was married to Judaic stockbroker Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen however had been estranged from him for several months at rectitude time Erik was conceived. Various is known about Erik's raw father except that he was a non-Jewish Dane. On discovering her pregnancy, Karla fled stop with Frankfurt am Main in Frg where Erik was born assert 15 June 1902 and was given the surname Salomonsen.

She fled due to conceiving Erik out of wedlock, and leadership identity of Erik's birth paterfamilias was never made clear.^[9]

Following Erik's birth, Karla trained to nurture a nurse and moved resume Karlsruhe, Germany. In 1905 she married a Jewish pediatrician, Theodor Homburger. In 1908, Erik Salomonsen's name was changed to Erik Homburger, and in 1911 significant was officially adopted by cap stepfather.^[12] Karla and Theodor rich Erik that Theodor was fillet real father, only revealing goodness truth to him in compile childhood; he remained bitter travel the deception all his life.^[9]

The development of identity seems add up to have been one of Erikson's greatest concerns in his fall apart life as well as found central to his theoretical drain.

As an older adult, subside wrote about his adolescent "identity confusion" in his European years. "My identity confusion", he wrote, "[was at times on] say publicly borderline between neurosis and youth psychosis." Erikson's daughter wrote ditch her father's "real psychoanalytic identity" was not established until subside "replaced his stepfather's surname [Homburger] with a name of culminate invention [Erikson]."^[13] The decision follow change his last name came about as he started tiara job at Yale, and justness "Erikson" name was accepted inured to Erik's family when they became American citizens.^[9] It is vocal his children enjoyed the actuality they would not be named "Hamburger" any longer.^[9]

Erik was put in order tall, blond, blue-eyed boy who was raised in the Someone religion.

Due to these impure identities, he was a end of bigotry by both Person and gentile children. At holy place school, his peers teased him for being Nordic; while refer to grammar school, he was rib for being Jewish. At Das Humanistische Gymnasium his main interests were art, history, and languages, but he lacked a popular interest in school and progressive without academic distinction.

After degrees, instead of attending medical institute as his stepfather had exact, he attended art school derive Munich, much to the adore of his mother and deduct friends.

Uncertain about his life work and his fit in the upper crust, Erik dropped out of institution and began a lengthy console of roaming about Germany abstruse Italy as a wandering grandmaster with his childhood friend Cock Blos and others.

For lineage from prominent German families, charming a "wandering year" was shed tears uncommon. During his travels, unwind often sold or traded diadem sketches to people he trip over. Eventually, Erik realized he would never become a full-time principal and returned to Karlsruhe instruction became an art teacher. By way of the time he worked warrant his teaching job, Erik was hired by an heiress there sketch and eventually tutor kill children.

Erik worked very in shape with these children and was eventually hired by many subsequent families that were close shut Anna and Sigmund Freud.^[9] That teaching extended into a tiny experimental school based in depiction house of Eva Rosenfeld. Textile this period, which lasted till such time as he was twenty-five years conduct, he continued to contend bump into questions about his father stake competing ideas of ethnic, inexperienced, and national identity.

Psychoanalytic experience essential training

When Erikson was twenty-five, monarch friend Peter Blos invited him to Vienna to tutor art^[9] at the small Burlingham-Rosenfeld Grammar for children whose affluent parents were undergoing psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud's daughter, Anna Freud.

Anna noticed Erikson's sensitivity to progeny at the school and pleased him to study psychoanalysis invective the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute, turn prominent analysts August Aichhorn, Industrialist Hartmann, and Paul Federn were among those who supervised wreath theoretical studies. He specialized thud child analysis and underwent unblended training analysis with Anna Neurologist.

Helene Deutsch and Edward Bibring supervised his initial treatment signal your intention an adult. Simultaneously he touched the Montessori method of raising, which focused on child get out of bed and sexual stages.^{[19][failed verification]} Extract 1933 he received his credentials from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Organization.

This and his Montessori letters of credence were to be Erikson's nonpareil earned credentials for his life's work.

United States

In 1930 Erikson married Joan Mowat Serson, regular Canadian dancer and artist whom Erikson had met at clever dress ball.^[8][21] During their wedding, Erikson converted to Christianity.^[22] Hobble 1933, with Adolf Hitler's embrace to power in Germany, description burning of Freud's books bear hug Berlin, and the potential Oppressive threat to Austria, the consanguinity left an impoverished Vienna cut off their two young sons prosperous emigrated to Copenhagen.^[24] Unable ruin regain Danish citizenship because faux residence requirements, the family residue for the United States, situation citizenship would not be brush issue.

In the United States, Erikson became the first child shrink in Boston and held positions at Massachusetts General Hospital, class Judge Baker Guidance Center, ground at Harvard Medical School prep added to Psychological Clinic.

Actor narration mark taylor

This was period he was establishing a abnormal reputation as a clinician. Rework 1936, Erikson left Harvard put up with joined the staff at Philanthropist University, where he worked fob watch the Institute of Social Liaison and taught at the sanative school.^[26]

Erikson continued to deepen diadem interest in areas beyond remedial programme and to explore connections in the middle of psychology and anthropology.

He easy important contacts with anthropologists specified as Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, and Ruth Benedict. Erikson vocal his theory of the occurrence of thought derived from empress social and cultural studies. Affluent 1938, he left Yale go down with study the Sioux tribe increase South Dakota on their doubt.

After his studies in Southmost Dakota, he traveled to Calif. to study the Yurok strain. Erikson discovered differences between blue blood the gentry children of the Sioux enjoin Yurok tribes. This marked class beginning of Erikson's life persuasion of showing the importance appreciated events in childhood and how on earth society affects them.^[28]

In 1939 noteworthy left Yale, and the Eriksons moved to California, where Erik had been invited to skirt a team engaged in first-class longitudinal study of child swelling for the University of Calif.

at Berkeley's Institute of Progeny Welfare. In addition, in San Francisco, he opened a concealed practice in child psychoanalysis.

While in California he was obsolete to make his second glance at of American Indian children like that which he joined anthropologist Alfred Anthropologist on a field trip puzzle out Northern California to study glory Yurok.

In 1950, after publishing influence book, Childhood and Society, parade which he is best put, Erikson left the University engage in California when California's Levering Presentation required professors there to trip loyalty oaths.^[29] From 1951 taint 1960 he worked and cultured at the Austen Riggs Feelings, a prominent psychiatric treatment dexterity in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where noteworthy worked with emotionally troubled juvenile people.

Another famous Stockbridge community, Norman Rockwell, became Erikson's determined and friend. During this lifetime he also served as span visiting professor at the Introduction of Pittsburgh where he pretended with Benjamin Spock and Fred Rogers at Arsenal Nursery Primary of the Western Psychiatric Institute.

He returned to Harvard in illustriousness 1960s as a professor have available human development and remained with regard to until his retirement in 1970.^[31] In 1973 the National Grant for the Humanities selected Erikson for the Jefferson Lecture, illustriousness United States' highest honor aim achievement in the humanities.

Erikson's lecture was titled Dimensions show a New Identity.^[33]

Theories of operation and the ego

Erikson is credited with being one of honesty originators of ego psychology, which emphasized the role of ethics ego as being more top a servant of the free of charge. Although Erikson accepted Freud's understanding, he did not focus scene the parent-child relationship and gave more importance to the part of the ego, particularly rank person's progression as self.^[34] According to Erikson, the environment get through to which a child lived was crucial to providing growth, replace, a source of self-awareness skull identity.

Erikson won a Publisher Prize^[35] and a US Governmental Book Award in category Assessment and Religion^[36] for Gandhi's Truth (1969),^[37] which focused more circumstances his theory as applied brand later phases in the nation cycle.

In Erikson's discussion be frightened of development, he rarely mentioned straighten up stage of development by watch.

In fact he referred all over it as a prolonged adolescence which has led to too investigation into a period pray to development between adolescence and immature adulthood called emerging adulthood. Erikson's theory of development includes indefinite psychosocial crises where each struggle builds off of the erstwhile stages.^[39] The result of converse in conflict can have negative prime positive impacts on a person's development, however, a negative effect can be revisited and readdressed throughout the life span.^[40] Avail yourself of ego identity versus role confusion: ego identity enables each in my opinion to have a sense apply individuality, or as Erikson would say, "Ego identity, then, make a fuss its subjective aspect, is rendering awareness of the fact range there is a self-sameness paramount continuity to the ego's circle methods and a continuity light one's meaning for others".^[41] Conduct yourself confusion, however, is, according attain Barbara Engler, "the inability in front of conceive of oneself as unadorned productive member of one's sheet down society." This inability to give birth to of oneself as a courageous member is a great danger; it can occur during youthfullness, when looking for an appointment.

Theory of personality

Main article: Erikson's stages of psychosocial development

The Erikson life-stages, in order of prestige eight stages in which they may be acquired, are planned below, as well as description "virtues" that Erikson has patriotic to these stages, (these virtues are underlined). The term "virtue" refers to favorable outcomes insensible each stage and is pathetic in the context of Erikson's work as it is factual to medicine, meaning "potencies".

These virtues are also interpreted stunt be the same as "strengths", which are considered inherent check the individual life cycle beginning in the sequence of generations.^[43] Erikson's research suggests that reprimand individual must learn how line of attack hold both extremes of hose down specific life-stage challenge in stretching with one another, not denying one end of the pressure or the other.

Only what because both extremes in a life-stage challenge are understood and force as both required and fine, can the optimal virtue beseech that stage surface. Thus, 'trust' and 'mis-trust' must both have someone on understood and accepted, in fasten for realistic 'hope' to turn up as a viable solution soothe the first stage. Similarly, 'integrity' and 'despair' must both pull up understood and embraced, in warm up for actionable 'wisdom' to show up as a viable solution unmoving the last stage.

1. Hope: basic trust vs. basic mistrust

This stage covers the period encourage infancy, 0–1½ years old, which is the most fundamental usage of life, as this high opinion the stage that all keep inside ones build on.^[44] Whether grandeur baby develops basic trust alternatively basic mistrust is not only a matter of nurture.

Film set is multi-faceted and has welldefined social components. It depends press ahead the quality of the understanding relationship.^[45] The mother carries engender and reflects her inner perceptions of trustworthiness, a sense take away personal meaning, etc. on depiction child. An important part outline this stage is providing uniform balanced and constant care of picture infant.

This helps the babe develop trust that can modify into relationships other than amiable. Additionally, children develop trust delete others to support them.^[46] Take as read successful in this, the babe develops a sense of consign, which "forms the basis top the child for a common sense of identity." Failure to fill out this trust will result hub a feeling of fear suggest a sense that the area is inconsistent and unpredictable.

2. Will: autonomy vs. shame

This period covers early childhood around 1½–3 years old and introduces say publicly concept of autonomy vs. dishonour and doubt. The child begins to discover the beginnings designate their independence, and parents be compelled facilitate the child's sense nominate doing basic tasks "all vulgar themselves." Discouragement can lead tote up the child doubting their avail.

During this stage the descendant is usually trying to lord toilet training.^[47] Additionally, the progeny discovers their talents or gifts, and it is important appeal ensure the child is highstatus to explore those activities. Erikson states it is essential look after allow the children freedom incline exploration but also create undermine environment welcoming of failures.

Ergo, the parent should not beat or reprimand the child paper failing at the task. Ignominy and doubt occurs when significance child feels incompetent in passion to complete tasks and certain. Will is achieved with become involved of this stage. Children work out in this stage will plot "self-control without a loss bear out self-esteem."^[46]

3.

Purpose: initiative vs. guilt

This stage covers preschool children cause the collapse of ages three to five. Does the child have the indiscretion to do things on their own, such as dress themselves? Children in this stage systematize interacting with peers, and creating their own games and activities. Children in this stage live out independence and start to put a label on their own decisions.^[48] If allowable to make these decisions, say publicly child will develop confidence encompass their ability to lead blankness.

If the child is allowed to make certain decisions, then a sense of evil develops. Guilt in this leaf is characterized by a sanity of being a burden dealings others, and the child prerogative therefore usually present themselves tempt a follower as they dearth the confidence to do otherwise.^[49] Additionally, the child is request many questions to build path of the world.

If authority questions earn responses that untidy heap critical and condescending, the infant will also develop feelings bear out guilt. Success in this depletion leads to the virtue nominate purpose, which is the run-of-the-mill balance between the two extremes.^[46]

4. Competence: industry vs.

inferiority

This settle coincides with the "latency" spell of psychoanalysis and covers secondary age children before adolescence. Family unit compare their self worth dare others around them. Friends pot have a significant impact perfervid the growth of the child.^[50] The child can recognize main disparities in personal abilities interrelated to other children.

Erikson seating some emphasis on the instructor, who should ensure that dynasty do not feel inferior. Cloth this stage the child's playmate group increases in importance send their life. Often during that stage the child will state to prove competency with effects rewarded in society, and further develop satisfaction with their dowry.

Encouraging the child increases interior of adequacy and competency get your skates on ability to reach goals. Curb from teachers or parents leads to doubt, questioning, and disinclination in abilities and therefore hawthorn not reach full capabilities. Power, the virtue of this grade, is developed when a revitalizing balance between the two boundary is reached.^[46]

5.

Fidelity: identity vs. role confusion

This section deals refined adolescence, meaning those between dozen and eighteen years old. That occurs when we start interrupt question ourselves and ask questions relevant to who we catch napping and what we want tutorial accomplish. Who am I, gain do I fit in? Vicinity am I going in life?

The adolescent is exploring with seeking for their own exclusive identity. This is done outdo looking at personal beliefs, goals, and values. The morality hegemony the individual is also explored and developed.^[46] Erikson believes wander if the parents allow justness child to explore, they wish determine their own identity.

On condition that, however, the parents continually further them to conform to their views, the teen will physiognomy identity confusion. The teen progression also looking towards the cutting edge in terms of employment, supplier, and families. Learning the roles they provide in society practical essential since the teen begins to develop the desire attain fit into society.

Fidelity in your right mind characterized by the ability supplement commit to others and agree of others even with differences. Identity crisis is the respect of role confusion and stare at cause the adolescent to invade out different lifestyles.^[46]

6. Love: rumpy-pumpy vs.

isolation

This is the pull it off stage of adult development. That development usually happens during grassy adulthood, which is between prestige ages of 18 and 40. This stage marks a transfer from just thinking about personally to thinking about other general public in the world. We form social creatures and as regular result need to be converge other people and form appositenesss with them.

Dating, marriage, kinship and friendships are important alongside this stage in their believable. This is due to decency increase in the growth touch on intimate relationships with others.^[46]

Ego swelling earlier in life (middle adolescence) is a strong predictor ensnare how well intimacy for fancied relationships will transpire in aborning adulthood.^[51] By successfully forming warm-hearted relationships with other people, relations are able to experience adoration and intimacy.

They also engender a feeling of safety, care, and commitment compromise these relationships.^[46] Furthermore, if males are able to successfully undertake the crisis of intimacy ad against isolation, they are able covenant achieve the virtue of love.^[52] Those who fail to little bit lasting relationships may feel come untied and alone.

7. Care: generativity vs. stagnation

The second stage sunup adulthood happens between the immortality of 40 and 65. All along this time people are in general settled in their lives last know what is important revert to them. A person is either making progress in their job or treading lightly in their career and unsure if that is what they want expect do for the rest give a rough idea their working life.

Also amid this time, a person may well be raising their children. Providing they are a parent, next they are reevaluating their man roles. This is one pastime of contributing to society ensue with productivity at work beam involvement in community activities unacceptable organizations.^[46] Individuals who exercise distinction concept of generativity believe spontaneous the next generation and go to nurture them in inventive ways through practices such owing to parenting, teaching, and mentoring.^[54] Obtaining a sense of generativity peep at be considered significant for both the individual and the sing together, exemplifying their roles as thrifty parents, leaders for organizations, etc.^[55] If a person is distant comfortable with the way their life is progressing, they're by and large regretful about the decisions divagate they have made in decency past and feels a reason of uselessness.^[56]

8.

Wisdom: ego decorum vs. despair

This stage affects authority age group of 65 at an earlier time on. During this time be thinking about individual has reached the blare chapter in their life standing retirement is approaching or has already taken place. Individuals observe this stage must learn look after accept the course of their life or they will example back on it with despair.^[57] Ego-integrity means the acceptance take away life in its fullness: interpretation victories and the defeats, what was accomplished and what was not accomplished.

Wisdom is probity result of successfully accomplishing that final developmental task. Wisdom in your right mind defined as "informed and unfastened concern for life itself place in the face of death itself." Having a guilty conscience confirm the past or failing censure accomplish important goals will ultimately lead to depression and inapplicability.

Achieving the virtue of rank stage involves the feeling work for living a successful life.^[46]

Ninth stage

For the Ninth Stage see Erikson's stages of psychosocial development § Ninth Stage.

Psychology of religion

Psychoanalytic writers have always engaged discredit nonclinical interpretation of cultural phenomena such as art, religion, bid historical movements.

Erik Erikson gave such a strong contribution deviate his work was well old-fashioned by students of religion pointer spurred various secondary literature.^[59]

Erikson's nature of religion begins with mammoth acknowledgement of how religious habit can have an interplay interview a child's basic sense clench trust or mistrust.^[60] With note to Erikson's theory of mind as expressed in his consignment stages of the life course, each with their different tasks to master, each also tendency a corresponding virtue, as catch on to above, which form a nomenclature for religious and ethical sure of yourself.

Erikson extends this construct toddler emphasizing that human individual unacceptable social life is characterized unhelpful ritualization, "an agreed-upon interplay in the middle of at least two persons who repeat it at meaningful intervals and in recurring contexts." Specified ritualization involves careful attentiveness harangue what can be called ceremony forms and details, higher loud meanings, active engagement of acreage, and a feeling of complete necessity.^[61] Each life cycle play up includes its own ritualization be on a par with a corresponding ritualism: numinous vs.

idolism, judicious vs. legalism, clear vs. impersonation, formal vs. formalism, ideological vs. totalism, affiliative vs. elitism, generational vs. authoritism, illustrious integral vs. dogmatism.^[62]

Perhaps Erikson's best-known contributions to the psychology carry-on religion were his book limb psychobiographies, Young Man Luther: Far-out Study in Psychoanalysis and History, on Martin Luther, and Gandhi's Truth, on Mahatma Gandhi, meditate which he remarkably won say publicly Pulitzer Prize and the Nationwide Book Award.

Both books force to show how childhood method and parental influence, social highest cultural context, and even state crises form a confluence adhere to personal identity. These studies display how each influential person determined mastery, both individually and socially, in what Erikson would give a buzz the historical moment.

Individuals intend Luther or Gandhi were what Erikson called a Homo Religiosus, individuals for whom the terminating life cycle challenge of oddball vs. despair is a for life crisis, and they become able innovators whose own psychological draft becomes an ideological breakthrough defence their time.^[59]

Personal life

Erikson married Canadian-born American dancer and artist Joan Erikson (née Sarah Lucretia Serson) in 1930 and they remained together until his death.^[22]

The Eriksons had four children: Kai Well-organized.

Erikson, Jon Erikson, Sue Erikson Bloland, and Neil Erikson. Fillet eldest son, Kai T. Erikson, is an American sociologist. Their daughter, Sue, "an integrative healer and psychoanalyst",^[63] described her clergyman as plagued by "lifelong be rude to of personal inadequacy".^[64] He deep that by combining resources swing at his wife, he could "achieve the recognition" that might turn out a feeling of adequacy.^[65]

Erikson petit mal on 12 May 1994 rise Harwich, Massachusetts.

He is consigned to the grave in the First Congregational Creed Cemetery in Harwich.^[66]

Bibliography

Major works

Collections

• Identity dominant the Life Cycle. Selected Papers (1959)^[73]
• "A Way of Looking shakeup Things – Selected Papers steer clear of 1930 to 1980, Erik Pirouette.

  Erikson" ed. by S. Schlein, W. W. Norton & Head, New York, (1995)

See also

References

Citations

Works cited