Question

Compare and contrast Piaget's theory of cognitive development to Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. How are they alike? How are they different? Which one do you think is more useful. Be thorough.

Answer 1

Jean Piaget, believed that every individual goes through four stages in life that shapes their cognitive development. The four stages being; sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), preoperational stage(2-7 years), concrete operational stage(7-11 years) and finally the formal operational stage(11-adulthood). An individual at birth, in the first stage of cognitive development only relies on his reflexes. It is during the course of time that he learns to imitate actions. It's during this stage that he assimilates and accommodates new information which reflects in his thinking process. It is in the second stage of development, preoperational stage, that a child learns to use language, symbol and gestures for cognitive development. At concrete operational stage an individual is egocentric, It does not mean that he/she is selfish but they focus only on their feelings and thoughts and feel that everybody else around them feel and think the same way. The final stage of cognitive development is the formal operational stage where an individual is capable of making logical decisions and solving abstract problems in a more systematic and logical way.

Eric Erickson's Theory of Psychosocial Development emphasizes on individual's relationship with the social environment for healthy development to occur throughout his lifespan. Erickson developed a theory to understand how a person's childhood, adolescence, adulthood, affects his entire life. He proposed Eight Stages which every person goes through in their life. Each stage is defined by a conflict which involves an individual's relationship with the social environment (mother, father, immediate relatives, peers, colleagues), that must be resolved in for healthy development to occur over a period of lifetime. The eight stages are; Trust vs Mistrust(birth-1year), Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt(1-3years), Innitiative vs Guilt(3-6years), Industry vs Inferiority(6-puberty), Identity vs Role Confusion(Adolescences), Intimacy vs Isolation(Adulthood), Generativity vs Stagnation(Middle Adulthood), Ego Integrity vs Despair(Final Stage).

The two theories are alike in the sense that when I analyze my behaviour, it helps me understand the root cause of my behaviour better. For instance, as a kid, during my preoperational stage of cognitive development, I can now relate to egocentrism as I was very scared of dogs, and felt that every child my age shared the same fear. It is only later that I realized that I emphasized on my feelings and thoughts and generalized them to all the children around.

Taking Eric Erickson's psychosocial theory into consideration, I reckon, I may have not resolved the conflict at stage four, Industry vs Inferiority. I was in general a very mischievous child, but at the same time I was very creative. Every time I made something creative, my parents shunned me, thinking it to be just another mischief. That has lead to, me developing an inferiority about myself. I feel I am incapable of making anything creative and artistic, though I have a flair for it.

Both the theories are very different in the sense, Piaget's theory is pertaining to one's cognitive development alone, while Erickson's theory focuses on the interaction with immediate environment for healthy mental development. Both the theories are equally useful.