Question

Identify and compare key elements of Freudian theory with, Erikson.

Highlight areas of agreement/disagreement between the theories.

What “improvement” on Freudian personality theory was the theorist you chose trying to achieve? Assess your theorist’s success in achieving this improvement.

The answe should be in 2500 words and APA format 6 edition, and refrences and citations must be there

Answer 1

Freud and Erikson have provided one of the most influential theories in the context of personality. While Erikson was influenced by the ideas of Freud and appreciated his approach, he differed with hi in significant ways. Like Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of predetermined stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan. This means that he describes the stages that an individual goes through across his entire lifetime.

While Freud called the first stage of development in the life of a person as the oral stage wherein she/he derives pleasure orally, Erikson called it the trust v/s mistrust wherein a child either develops trust on the basis of the early experiences or develops mistrust in case inconsistency or poor gratification is achieved. Similarly, in the second stage of development, Children gain a sense of mastery and competence by controlling bladder and bowel movements according to Freud’s stage. On the other hand, children develop self-sufficiency by controlling activities such as eating, toilet training, and talking in Erikson’s autonomy v/s shame/doubt stage. In the third stage, Freud referred to the phase of toddlers as the phallic stage. The libido's energy is focused on the genitals. Children begin to identify with their same-sex parent. On the contrary, Erikson established that children begin to take more control over their environment at this time. Those who are successful at this stage develop a sense of purpose while those who struggle are left with feelings of guilt. Freud’s perspective is more on the sexuality whereas Erikson repeatedly talks of independence and autonomy. Furthermore, during the phase between 7 to 11 years, Freud believed that this age served as more of a transitional period between childhood and adolescence. Erikson, on the other hand, believed that kids continue to forge a sense of independence and competence. This was referred to as the latency stage by Freud where the libido's energy is suppressed and children are focused on other activities such as school, friends, and hobbies. Erikson names it as the industry v/s inferiority stage where children develop a sense of competence by mastering new skills. In the next phase however, adolescents start experiencing romantic relationships This was named as genital stage by Freud. However, children develop a personal identity and sense of self according to Erikson’s identity v/s role confusion stage. Freud's theory focused exclusively on development between birth and the teen years, implying that personality is largely set in stone by early childhood. Erikson, on the other hand, took a lifespan approach and believed that development continues even in to old age. Eriksons' theory includes three more stages that span adulthood. These three stages are: Intimacy vs Isolation: Young adults seek out romantic love and companionship and aim at maintaining them through the rest of their lives.

• Generativity vs Stagnation: Middle-aged adults nurture others and contribute to society.
• Integrity vs Despair: Older adults reflect on their lives, looking back with a sense of fulfilment or bitterness.

Erikson’s aim was primarily to explain the different life stages a person goes through from a different perspective including the role played by them in the society. This is opposed to how Freud viewed the lifespan from a psychosexual standpoint. He gave the libidinal energy a very significant roe to play in the early years of a person’s life. Psychosocial role crisis is what Erikson focused on during the early years of a person.

Erikson's theory in that sense is more evolved, realistic and less primitive in nature. It truly defines the journey of a person in terms of the social roles that aim to function in. Freud's perspective of the unconscious mind is inevitable when it comes to explaining the behavior of a person and their motivations. However, to explain the early years of one's life till adolescence, behavior cannot be explained through mere sexuality development. Many other roles and responsibilities take over and an individual is shaped through their interaction with the environment.