Developmental Psychology-Erickson Eight Stages Theory

p Erikson 's eight stages theory have been one of the most popular in developmental psychology and in the study of human development . The eight stages he identified corresponds adequately to the major life stages that each of us pass through infancy (birth to 18 months , early childhood (18 months to 3 years , play age (3 to 5 years , school age (6 to 12 years , adolescence (12 to 18 years , young adulthood (18 to 35 years , middle adulthood (35 to 65 years ) and late adulthood (65 to death (Boyd Bee , 2006 . Erikson 's

major contribution is in the virtues that a person must gain in each stage as a developmental task that would enable the person to succeed in the succeeding stages (Boyd Bee , 2006 . The theory describes very real situations that each person experiences one way or another within his /her lifetime . The underlying motivation for a person 's behavior in a given stage is based on his /her need to resolve the developmental issues of that particular stage , thus an old man who is always grumpy and unhappy and difficult may have not been able to accomplish his goals and dreams and hence he behaves in that way . Another example is when an adolescent striving to form her own identity experiments and try out different things in for her to determine who she is and what she wants to be , thus explaining risk taking behavior prevalent in adolescence . The strength of the theory is that it is a common sense approach to the study of human development . It is a reality that life progresses in a series of stages , and as a person grows older , his /her interests and goals also change , if the young adult was consumed with wealth , power and prestige , then late adult is more focused on relationships , friendships , spirituality and others Erikson 's theory is based on what is normal , what is expected of each person at a given stage , and what should a person achieve in to become successful

The criticisms of the theory center on its inability to explain those who deviate from the stages , for example , the mid lifer who have remained un , single and without children who is successful and happy , another example is the couple who have married early in their teens and by 35 is already in the empty nest period . The theory 's weakness also lies in the emphasis it gave on the need to resolve the developmental tasks in a given stage in to be successful in the next (Newman Newman , 1999 , there are cases when someone chooses to be single all their life , does it mean they would be unhappy because they are not married , or the young adult who decides not to have children and focus on her career not be as fulfilled as those who had children Lastly , the theory is based on the social norms and expectations of American life , in fact when inspected closely , the theory mirrors the American...