Erikson's Stage 4: Industry Versus Inferiority

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Erikson’s Stage 4; Industry versus Inferiority
Erik Erickson was an ego psychologist who emphasized the role of culture and society and the conflicts that can take place within the ego. He developed a theory of psychosocial stages where he believed a crisis occurs at each of the eight stages of development. Erik Erikson was influenced by Sigmund Freud, who emphasized the conflict between the id and the superego, but unlike Freud, Erikson believed that the ego develops as a result of successfully resolving crises in eight distinct stages that expand a lifetime. Successful completion of each stage results in a healthy ego, however, failure to complete each stage results in an unhealthy view of one’s self. “Erik Erikson maintained that personality …show more content…

Erikson believed that there was always room for continued growth and development throughout one’s life, and he emphasized the adolescent period as a crucial stage for developing a person’s identity. Industry versus inferiority is the fourth stage of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and occurs between the vital adolescent ages of six and twelve. During this stage, school and social interaction play an important role as well as the child starts to perform more complex tasks. Mastering new skills is relevant during this stage and this is when teachers, parents, peers and role models influence children by praising them and giving them recognition for being proficient. When children do not get the encouragement or commendation from their teachers, parents, or peers, they start to develop a feeling of incompetence and start to doubt their abilities. According to Erikson this stage is vital in developing self-confidence and competence, while failure results in feelings of inferiority. This is the stage where emphasis is often placed on academic and athletic performance, and …show more content…

I learned at an early age to always do what is right. In public I was always taught to be polite and never do anything foolish. Although my parents helped shape my identity, it was also my teachers whom I spent the most time with who were encouraging and stressed the importance of school. In elementary school some of the games we played taught us how to get along with each other, and to problem solve together as a group which resulted making positive friendships. At Longleaf Elementary we had many different clubs for everyone to join so students could get involved in something they were interested in. I chose safety patrol in sixth grade and that taught me how to be responsible and to be a leader. In safety patrol, I was accepted by my peers and made new friendships. For me, it was important to be in a group or club in elementary school so that I could gain peer acceptance. Erickson stated; “The parents and other family members are joined by teachers and peers and other members of the community at large. They all contribute: Parents must encourage, teachers must care, peers must accept. Children must learn the feeling of success, whether it is in school or on the playground, academic or

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