The Extraordinary Development of Erin Robison
Throughout the years of studying human development, there have been theories about the psychological stages or phases of development. Theorist saw that these psychological phases of development would then in turn affect a growing human’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Many theorists have become famous for their thoughts over the stages of human development, such as Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory, Erikson’s Neo-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory, and Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory. Though, out of all of the theories, the simplest to understand and grasp the concept of is Erik Erikson’s Neo-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory.
Erik Erikson’s Theory consists of eight major psychosocial stages, or as Erikson puts it “psychosocial conflicts”. Erikson’s eight stages or conflicts are as follows; trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame, initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority, ego identity versus role confusion, intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus despair. In order to better explain and discuss the Erikson stages of development, I will be referring to my own life and phases of development through the Erikson Neo-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory.
The first stage or conflict in Erikson’s theory is trust versus mistrust. The stage of trust versus mistrust occurs during infancy, from birth to around one and a half years old.
According to Saul McLeod, “During this stage the infant is uncertain about the world in which they live. To resolve these feelings of uncertainty the infant looks towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care.” I was born on November 20, 1996 to the loving parents Brad and Paula Robison and two excited big brothers. At birth I only weighed five pounds and thirteen ounces, so by doctor’s recommendation I was not allowed to leave home until I weighed more than seven pounds. It took me six months to gain that weight, so in that time period I was always with family. I had stable and consistent care whether it came from my mother, father, or grandparent it was always available to me. So, I feel like I successfully passed through Erikson’s trust versus mistrust conflict.
Erikson’s second conflict in the stages of development is autonomy versus shame or doubt. This phase starts around the age of one and a half, then continues to the age of three. Elkind states that, “Erikson sees here the emergence of autonomy. This autonomy dimension builds upon the child’s new motor and mental abilities. The child takes pride in these new accomplishments and wants to do everything himself.” During this stage of my life, my family had moved to a different state and a new house. By this time both of my brothers were in school and I was left at home with mom. Both of my parents were very good at letting my brothers and I be independent and learn things on our own. Yet, they were always intentional about setting boundaries for our safety and wellbeing. Still, my parents did let us learn from our mistakes multiple times.