Life is a constant barrage of challenges that need to be overcome, and the lessons we learn along the way are there to help us develop and grow. The theory of development devised by Erik Erikson explains how we should take the context of sociology and society into consideration when talking about human development. The ways in which we grow and develop are affected by the society we are in and our place within it, and this makes an excellent topic to discuss for a research paper.
Erikson’s theory has a total of eight stages of development which provide the base for our social, moral, and ethical behaviour throughout life. The theory says that at each stage, an individual will encounter a number of problems. The resolution of each problem gives the individual new skills as a result, which are then used at later stages. Each stage will present a crisis in development for the individual, and he or she will be ready to move onto the next stage once they have overcome the crisis. If an individual cannot overcome the stage, the unlearned skills will provide problems for the next stages and may have significant impacts on the person’s future development in general.
There are six stages within both Kohlberg’s and Erikson’s theories of development which can be grouped into three major levels, each containing two stages. These stages are known as pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional stages. The skills acquired at each stage are prerequisites for future stages, so it is impossible to skip any stages.
The first stage is present from birth until the age of one, and the stage is concerned with utilising the help of other people to fulfil basic needs. If an infant is able to achieve this fulfilment by communicating with parents to acquire food, for example, then the infant will learn to trust their environment and can proceed to the next stage. The second stage is learning to walk and talk, and if this stage is successful, then the child can move onto the next stage, which is all about taking the initiative and being creative. The stage after that is learning of communication and teamwork.
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