Pavlov's and Erikson's Theories

Ivan Pavlov developed a theory called classical conditioning which proposes that learning process occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. Classical conditioning involves placing a neutral signal before a naturally occurring reflex like associating the food with the bell in Pavlov experiment. In classical conditioning, behavior is learnt by association where a stimulus that was originally neutral can become a trigger for substance use or cravings due to repeated associations between those stimuli and substance use (Pavlov, 1927).

The other aspect in classical conditioning is extinction, which occurs when a conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with an unconditioned stimulus. For example, when the smell of tobacco that was initially paired with having a few puffs is now present, but the individual is not provided with the cigarette to get the puffs, when this is done for a long time the smell no longer produce the craving in the individual to have the puff. The extinction of the learnt behavior of smoking can be said to have occurred (Cherry, 2011).

Erick Erickson came up with a theory of psychosocial development which is basically concerned with how personality and behavior is influenced after a child is born mostly in childhood all the way to adulthood. He came up with eight stages in the socialization process which he named “the eight stages of a man” and each stage he regarded it as “psychosocial crisis” according to an article by Child Development Institute, LLC (2010).

Each stage must be properly negotiated before the individual can move to the next stage and manage it. The first stage is where the child or the individual learns basic trust versus basic mistrus...

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