Biography of Erik Erikson

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Erik Erikson was a 20th century psychologist who laid the foundations of how personality develops over time in addition to how social influences can have lasting impacts. Furthermore, he articulated his theory of lifestyle stages and coined the term, ‘identity crisis;’ when there is an internal conflict involving issues such as trust, purpose, or intimacy during development stages. Even though his contributions could be seen over half a century ago, he was crucial inspiring new fields of psychology and played a strong role in how people currently view personality. However, much of his literature dates back before the Women’s Rights Movement so previous societal views of women’s inferiority can be seen through his emphasis on male development, which has been a target of critique and revision for its applicability to females.
For the purpose of this essay, I will refrain from being politically correct in saying ‘him/herself’ when referring to people in Erikson’s literature because proceeding critiques have argued his life-cycle stages may apply differently to females. Despite his outdated views towards gender roles, Erik Erikson will not be forgotten for his impact on changing perceptions on psychological development and its socio-cultural influences that are intricately connected.
At such a young age Erikson began to experience problems with his own identity. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany on July 15, 1902 and did not know his biological father. While growing up, he was tall and had blond-hair with blue eyes while his family practiced Judaism. He was consequently taunted in both Jewish and Nordic settings for not appearing to belong to either.
Despite disapproval from his stepfather, he attended art college but soon dropped ...

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...deology by preventing external forces that may define the child and hinder the ability for self-discovery and naturally develop an internal sense of identity. But when looking this issue from a business perspective, creating quick judgments allows you to develop quick fixes, which is usually profitable. Websites sell advertising, psychiatrists want their appointment schedules filled, and your academic standing (and opportunities for elite colleges) can be decided with a single test—that we must purchase. Unfortunately, it seems capitalist interests may impede development of our future generations but I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy-nut. Ultimately, Erikson opened a new way of thinking about psychological development but the socio-cultural forces (business/capitalism/feminism) can affect his influence just like they (parents/teachers) can affect the children.

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