Transcript Erik Erikson - Bethel University

Erik Erikson (1902-1994)
"The personality is engaged
with the hazards of
existence continuously,
even as the body's
metabolism copes with
decay."
Psychosocial Stages of
Development
• Psychosocial: the environment the
child is in interacts with the child's
heredity. More than just sexuality is
involved. Development addresses all
the areas of one's life.
Each stages is characterized by:
• A crisis taking the form of a dilemma (ex:
trust vs. mistrust)
• Though one part of the dilemma sounds
negative (ex: mistrust), it is important and
needs to be integrated.
• For example, one would not want a child
to approach life with a totally trustful
attitude. A child needs to have enough
savvy to know some things can't be
trusted, and enough positive experiences
to have a "basic trust", the resulting virtue
or strength is hope.
Erikson's stages
In the attached table you will find:
• The 8 stages (+Freudian equivalents)
• The dilemmas
• The social radius (who do people connect to at
each stage)
• The dominant ways to relate for each stage
• The virtues/ego strengths that can emerge
• The positive social patterns that develop
(ritualizations)
• The negative unbalances that can develop
(ritualisms)
For each stage
Look at how these elements are connected.
Create examples for each stage.
• How does a particular dilemma resolve
itself into the development of a given
virtue?
• How can a given positive social pattern
develop (ritualization)?
• How can some things go astray?
(ritualisms)
Our sense of identity
• Develops progressively through the
stages, all through our life time.
Facets of identity
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spiritual/religious identity
Cultural/ethnic identity
Gender identity
Professional identity
Social identity
Etc…
Developmental Themes
• The dilemmas that Erikson proposes for
the developmental stages are truly themes
we wrestle with all through life, they just
get more salient at some times.
• For example: though most of you are
theoretically in the intimacy vs. isolation
stage, issues of hope, will, or purpose are
still important.
Eriksonian Virtues and
Scripture
• In the slides that follow, Erikson's
definition of a virtue is given (from Insight
and Responsibility (1964) --New York:
Norton pp 118-134).
• Some scriptural considerations follow.
• What connections do you see between
psychological themes and virtues as
Erikson sees them, and one's spiritual
development as a Christian?
What themes are salient for
you?
• This link leads you to a set of
questions about each developmental
theme.
• Answer the questions, and score
them according to the instructions.
• What are the two most salient
themes for you at this time?
About hope
• HOPE is the enduring belief in the
attainability of fervent wishes, in spite of
the dark urges and rages which mark the
beginning of existence.
• Compare Erikson's definition of hope with
the definition of faith found in Hebrews 11.
What dynamics are the same? Of course
Hebrew 11 is talking about humans in
general, not little children, but before God
we are are small children, aren't we? And
could some of the foundations of our adult
faith be rooted in some of our experiences
as little children?
About will
• WILL is the unbroken determination to
exercise free choice as well as selfrestraint, in spite of the unavoidable
experience of shame and doubt in infancy
• What is the positive value of shame?
(granted of course that we should not
build our all identity on it) Consider
Jeremiah 6:15 (read around it for context).
What are the people lacking, and how
does that get them in trouble?
About purpose
• PURPOSE is the courage to envisage and
pursue valued goals uninhibited by the
defeat of infantile fantasies, by guilt, and
by the foiling fear of punishment.
• Guilt is defined in Erikson's theory as "the
capacity for self-condemnation". It implies
both cognitive reflective ability, and also
the ego strength to be able to tolerate that
inner disapproval. True guilt is healthy.
• Read Psalm 51 and reflect how the guilt
experienced by the psalmist can be an
asset to his relationship with God.
About competence
• COMPETENCE is the free exercise of
dexterity and intelligence in the
completion of tasks, unimpaired by
infantile inferiority.
• A good example of competence and the
obstacles to it can be found in the parable
of the Talents MT 25:14-28
About fidelity
• FIDELITY is the ability to sustain
loyalties freely pledged in spite of the
inevitable contradictions of value
systems.
• Perhaps one of the most lovely
examples of fidelity is the whole
story of Ruth (Book of Ruth, entire
book --promise Ruth 1:16-18
About love
• LOVE is mutuality of devotion
forever subduing the antagonisms
inherent in divided function.
• Read Paul's definition of love in ICor
13
About care
• CARE is the widening concern for what
has been generated by love, necessity or
accident; it overcomes the ambivalence
adhering to irreversible obligation.
• A widening concern: we are to care not
just for our family, or for those who love
us, but for all --as all become our
neigbors. Look for example at the parable
of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37)
About wisdom
• WISDOM is detached concern with life
itself, in the face of death itself.
• This sort of way to look at life in the
perspective of something greater than us
can be found in Proverbs 1:1-7 (and in the
rest of the book). Though, for a look at life
in the face of death, go to Ecclesiastes -which is NOT a sad and depressed book…
only a wise one, full of paradoxes.
The End