Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Example

Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Example Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Erikson’s eight stages theory Essay Erikson’s eight stages theory have been one of the most popular in developmental psychology and in the study of human development. The eight stages he identified corresponds adequately to the major life stages that each of us pass through; infancy (birth to 18 months), early childhood (18 months to 3 years), play age (3 to 5 years), school age (6 to 12 years), adolescence (12 to 18 years), young adulthood (18 to 35 years), middle adulthood (35 to 65 years) and late adulthood (65 to death) (Boyd Bee, 2006). Erikson’s major contribution is in the virtues that a person must gain in each stage as a developmental task that would enable the person to succeed in the succeeding stages (Boyd Bee, 2006). The theory describes very real situations that each person experiences one way or another within his/her lifetime.The underlying motivation for a person’s behavior in a given stage is based on his/her need to resolve the developmental issues of that particular stage, thu s an old man who is always grumpy and unhappy and difficult may have not been able to accomplish his goals and dreams and hence he behaves in that way. Another example is when an adolescent striving to form her own identity experiments and try out different things in order for her to determine who she is and what she wants to be, thus explaining risk taking behavior prevalent in adolescence. The strength of the theory is that it is a common sense approach to the study of human development. It is a reality that life progresses in a series of stages, and as a person grows older, his/her interests and goals also change, if the young adult was consumed with wealth, power and prestige, then late adult is more focused on relationships, friendships, spirituality and others. Erikson’s theory is based on what is normal, what is expected of each person at a given stage, and what should a person achieve in order to become successful.The criticisms of the theory center on its inability t o explain those who deviate from the stages, for example, the mid lifer who have remained unattached, single and without children who is successful and happy, another example is the couple who have married early in their teens and by 35 is already in the empty nest period. The theory’s weakness also lies in the emphasis it gave on the need to resolve the developmental tasks in a given stage in order to be successful in the next (Newman Newman, 1999), there are cases when someone chooses to be single all their life, does it mean they would be unhappy because they are not married, or the young adult who decides not to have children and focus on her career not be as fulfilled as those who had children? Lastly, the theory is based on the social norms and expectations of American life, in fact when inspected closely, the theory mirrors the American dream perpetuated in the 1960’s. it is not culturally sensitive, it does not account for variations within a society nor is it applicable to the more fast paced and complex society of today, how can the theory live up to the fact that more and more people are delaying marriage and parenthood, or that the elderly still have their careers and actively living their lives.Nonetheless, Erikson’s theory of development (1950) offers a basic explanation of the human life-span and the characteristics for its stage, he was able to identify the most salient factors in each stage, the most relevant theme for each developmental milestone and also offers a complete stage theory from birth to death which very few theories have been able to do.