Psychosocial Development Case Study

Psychosocial development is the stage-by-stage process, in which an individual derives thought and behavior based on the perceived nature of the social construct that is provided. McLeod (2013) describes Erik Erikson’s theory as eight distinct stages (trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame, initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority, identity versus identity confusion, intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus despair), in which a crisis occurs that conflicts between individual and social needs. After a child is born, there is a crisis in whether basic needs will be met by the parent, leading into a sense of independence and how that parent will establish a sense of will. This independence

Yet the use of substances at this stage stems from susceptibility derived from an early stage of development. Failure to successfully complete a stage of development will result in a reduced ability to complete further stages and produce an unhealthy personality and sense of self (McLeod, 2013). This is a result of particular needs not being met or an adherence to a maintained balance during development. As a child grows through these stages of development, the perception of life builds upon the outcome of each crisis stage. Just as an infant may not trust social surroundings as a result of unhealthy parenting, there will be a maladaptive outcome in building independence, purpose, and competency resulting in a poor sense of identity. According to Hussong (2011) studies indicate that early externalizing behaviors (seen in children as young as 2-5 years of age) contribute to higher risk for substance abuse in adolescents and young adults. This process of development builds over time and aids in an identity crisis during adolescence in which substance use may be more

Adolescence is characterized by rapid physical, intellectual, emotional, and psychological changes, as well as the development of healthy and risky behaviors that can last over the life of the individual (Banspach, et. al., 2016). This transition can begin early in some individuals during a pre-teen period at the later part of the competence stage, often presented with pronounced physical changes in sexual maturation, skeletal growth, and body composition. As the physical appearance matures, navigation through changing social norms and expectations occur, often necessitating confrontation and reorganization of identity and self-perception (Mendle, Turkheimer, & Emery, 2007). During this process the individual works toward acceptance of others and equally seeking acceptance as a validation toward personal identification. Failure to establish identity creates confusion and often results in experimenting with different lifestyles in order to achieve a sense of