#psychosocialperspective

Blog Entry 7: Psychosocial Perspective

Seeing this process in my own childhood was a little difficult to fully analyze since I barely remember anything from when I was a young child, but it was interesting to see as I watch my nephews grow up. I have a nephew right now who is seven years old and I’m watching him try to navigate his way through learning what he needs to do and learning how to do them. He’s a very timid child, and always doubts himself about his ability to do something on his own or if what he’s doing is the right thing to do. And one thing I realized could have caused this is the constant criticism whenever he does something wrong. It threw me off when I realized that they keep telling him that he knows what to do and he can try and not to doubt himself, yet they contradict themselves in letting him learn when he gets criticised every time he makes a mistake or takes too long to do something by moving slowly and inconveniencing anyone.

BLOG #7

PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE by ERIK ERIKSON

I must say that Erik Erikson (the one who proposed the Psychosocial Development), his life, and his theory is something that happens not-so-often yet is quite relatable. From what I understood his life is related or intertwined with his theory of psychosocial development. He came into understanding with such theory when he met Sigmund Freud and he admired his works.

To summarize, the quote. “History repeats itself”, reflects the life and the work of Erik Erikson. The Psychosocial Development was derived from the Psychosexual Stages of Freud. However, its origins started from the time Erik wanted to look for his biological father which his mother kept from him. From then on, he underwent an identity crisis where he tried different jobs until he found psychology and Freud.

Basically, Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory gave way towards a more detailed discussion pertaining to the discussion about the identity of one’s self. If Freud gave us a glimpse, Erikson gave us a wider and a bit deeper approach towards knowing the self. It comprises of eight (8) stages with each stage having a bipolar standard that determines whether-or-not one is improving positively or negatively in their identity. Furthermore, it emphasizes that the stages follow an Epigenetic Principle where it moves from one stage to another in a sequential manner. Likewise, the development is shaped through social interactions and relationships. Then, each stage shows a crisis and an interaction of opposites which help discern if one progressed or regressed in the development of identity; for each response consist of an effect that affects the person in ways that differ their reaction.

I could see why this theory is accepted in the field of psychology, mainly because it is relatable, and one could see it be done or exemplified by other people in society. Despite the relatability, there are still other factors to consider in order to fully accept such theory. Moreover, in the quest for searching and strengthening one’s identity, there is a psychosocial moratorium or a “time-out period” where an individual could freely explore various roles, beliefs and behaviors without having to commit. It is important to experience this part because it helps one to develop and become better humans that somewhat knows what his or her own purpose is.