Analyzing Erikson's Eight Stages Of Raising Children

What Suggestions would psychology make about how to raise your children?

The parents’ personalities can very easily influence a child and how they are raised. Erik Erikson gives parents great tips on how to raise children. A person’s personality is made up of their temperament, attachment style, and other unique forces. Erikson came up with a theory made of eight stages that a child will go through during their psychosocial development. The stages include; trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus self-doubt, initiative versus guilt, competence versus inferiority, identity versus role confusion, and so on. The first stages are the most important, a child will learn to trust from their parents, and will learn autonomy from their parents. With adequate interaction, a child will be raised with the basic sense of safety and security, and will be capable to control one’s own body. (Chapter 9, pages 385-386)

As a child grows, so does their personality and temperament. In early childhood, a child will inherit personality dispositions that establish mood and tempo. These are themes a child will show such as shyness or moodiness. Children appear to be born introverted or shy, but many children become shy due to negatives experiences in one’s life.

Sexual motivation is a homeostatic drive because you can live without it. Although, to have a successful or better relationship, sexual motivation can serve as other goals than a homeostatic drive. It can serve as pleasure, reproduction, and social bonding, all of which can increase the success of a relationship. Sexual motivation comes from the brain and not from the genitals. Your brain finds someone or something sexually arousing and that is what turns you on. This could be a touch, sound, sight, or even smell. Psychology says if you are sexuall aroused with your partner you are more likely to have a successful relationship. (Chapter 8, pages