How do Erikson’s stages help you understand the people you know who are older or younger than you are? Explain, giving a few examples.
Erik Erikson, an ego psychologist who coined one of the most prominent theories of developments, gives an outstanding eight-point framework that analyzed personality development in humans. By it, he undernotes the significance of social interaction in the growth of human beings. Notably, for one to be courageous enough to face society, the individual must fulfill the two conflicting ideas presented in each stage. This helps in mastering beliefs and attitudes, thus allowing children to grow into successful members in a society. The stages are; trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and finally, integrity vs. despair. Through the first stage, I can understand and appreciate why little children would only welcome the mother’s comfort and no one else. For example, my cousin’s daughter will always cry when I tried to carry her and keep calm on return to her mother. Perhaps, she does not trust me, at least not yet. Again, the final stage implies how old adults endeavor to cultivate a sense of accomplishment from their past doings. For instance, President Donald Trump and his vice, Mike Pence, would want to attach their life histories to integrity and not despair.
Name and explain the three Interpersonal Orientations.
The three interpersonal orientations include; moving toward, moving against, or moving away with. This explains the possible trends that humans would want to explore. First and foremost, moving toward emphasizes the dependency of humans on a particular idea or group. This may be attributed to a sense of love where a child would want to stay close to its mother because it believes that the mother can never ham her. In contrast, moving against emphasizes hostility and aggression. It may be attributed to a sense of perfect where one believes only in what he does and is satisfied by it. The individual would therefore move away from groups that he has conflicting ideas with. Ultimately, moving away explains the separation from others. For example, one may depart from groups with rules and regulations because he/she hates a sense of authority and adores freedom.