Reflection and Analysis on Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development

One of the best-known theories of personality in psychology is Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of stages and he cited eight stages of development which describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan and the environmental factors that would affect the successful of each stage.

Each stage has a psychosocial crisis of two opposing emotional crisis and failure of developing in each stage will lead to either maladaptation or malignancy. Epigenetic principle is also being discussed in this topic and it explains that human develops through a predetermined unfolding of personalities in eight stages. In other words, there are corresponding challenges that one must develop with regards to the existing environment that one has.

Indeed, environment has a great contribution as a child grows and this would surely affect his development as he grows old. Erikson emphasizes the importance of understanding the eight stages of development to give grasp on how individual develops and why there are people misbehave in some aspect of life. But, on my own perspective, I just realized that he failed to include what would be the possible ways to solve if malignancy or maladaption develops. In other words, solution in every failing development in each stage should be involved or shall I say are there any ways to cope up those failing stage that one has undergone.

However, Erikson’s theory of development is very helpful especially to those educators and for the parents as well. Through studying this theory, one will be able to understand the nature and personality of a person especially on the part of the teacher. This would give enlightenment to all teachers that every child is a unique individual that gradually change as he develops his personality based on the eight stages cited by Erikson and would give knowledge on how to facilitate learning depending on the pacing, nature, interest and capacity of a child.