Using Erikson’s identity theory, discuss the stage you are currently in and a stage you have already completed

Using Erikson’s identity theory, discuss the stage you are currently in and a stage you have already completed. For each developmental stage, discuss the psychosocial crisis for that stage as it applies to your life. Also discuss your successful completion of each stage, or any unresolved issues and how they might affect your personal identity development.

Theoretical Framework Paper-Erikson’s identity theory

Adolescents and emerging adults experience various identity-forming concerns when growing up. For example, they often engage in wonder; who am I? What is my role in society? Such reflections shape their thoughts, their actions, and their commitments. Notably, during adolescence, individuals experience different changes in their cognitive, social, and biological aspects, stimulating them to reflect on themselves, the kind of people they want to become, and their role in society. Various theories and models attempt to explain the identity development stages and how they apply to human behaviors and daily activities.

Traditional Identity Theory: Erikson’s Identity Theory

Although Sigmund Freud’s work influenced Erikson’s development theory, his work focused on psychosocial development. As he believed that identity develops in a series of stages, Erikson identified eight stages of identity development through which an individual seeks to establish who they are (Gerson & Neilson, 2016). Through his theory, Erikson described human beings’ social interactions in their entire lifespan to establish how they influence one’s growth and development. According to Erikson’s identity theory (1979), the story of one stage is based on the preceding one, with individuals experiencing a conflict that affects their transition to the next stage, or the failure to develop psychological quality. Erikson noted that people are faced with a high probability of success or failure in these stages. Some people accomplish a stage of developing psychological strength, which they rely on for the rest of their lives. The failure to successfully navigate the conflicts is linked to the lack of a strong sense of self in an individual. The degree to which an individual accomplishes a particular stage is attributed to their sense of mastery or competence in that specific area in life, which translates to their ego quality.

The first stage of Erikson’s identity theory, Trust vs Mistrust, is the most fundamental in a person’s life span. It occurs between birth and one year of age. An infant develops trust based on the quality of care accorded since they are entirely dependent upon the caregivers for everything, including love, food, nurturing, warmth and protection. Successful navigation of a child through this stage creates a sense of trust and a feeling of safety and security in the world (Erikson, 2017). Conversely, when an infant is subjected to feelings of inconsistency, rejection, and emotional unavailability, a sense of mistrust creates the notion that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable and cannot be trusted. However, Erikson believed that children could strike a balance between trust and mistrust, resulting in hope development. This introduces the openness to experience despite the understanding that harm may be present.

The second psychosocial of Erikson’s identity theory stage is Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt. It develops in early childhood as the child experiences increased personal control. Erikson presented that this stage is characterized by the children starting to carry out basic actions independently and making simple decisions on their preferences. By allowing them the autonomy to do so, the caregivers enhance the feeling of independence in the child. Successful navigation in this stage results in the sense of personal control, while those children who are ashamed of their accidents and failures may develop feelings of shame and doubt.

The third stage develops during preschool as children begin to exert control and independence over their environment by directing social interactions and play sessions. When children successfully exercise control over their domain, they develop a sense of purpose and the ability to lead. However, this may be hindered when they exert too much power leading to disapproval. This may result in feelings of guilt, self-doubt, and a lack of initiative. The fourth psychosocial stage develops in the early school years between 5 and 11. Children develop a sense of achievement and pride in their accomplishments and abilities. The success or failure to navigate through this stage is influenced by the nature of parental interactions they experience (Tyler, 2020). Their social and academic competencies result in feelings of belief in their skills. At the same time, those who fail to realize the accepted standard of success and those who receive little or no encouragement from their teachers, parents, or peers develop doubt. It thus affects their ability to succeed.

The identity vs confusion psychosocial stage characterizes the teenage years of growth. The sense of personal identity developed in this stage influences the behavior and development of an individual for their entire life span. According to Davis & Weinstein (2017), contemporary adolescents and young adults have transitioned to pursuing identity development via social media. Here, the adolescents and the emerging young adults engage in self-exploration with varied ways of expression. Successful navigation through this stage results in a strong sense of self and personal identity. At the same time, failure leads to a weak sense of self and role confusion. Encouragement and positive reinforcement for personal exploration are essential. It helps develop a strong sense of unique understanding and independence, averting feelings of insecurity and confusion in their abilities and identity.

Intimacy vs isolation is the sixth stage characterized by the need to form intimate and loving relationships between young adults. Successful formation of personal interactions leads to solid relationships, while failure results in isolation and loneliness. This being the stage I am currently at; I have realized that building strong and lasting relationships depends not only on meeting the right person but also on my state of mind and sense of self. This is because the stages depend on the successful navigation of the preceding stage. Individuals with a poor understanding of self will struggle with isolation and depression due to loneliness since they tend to be less committed in relationships. The generativity vs stagnation stage of Erikson’s identity theory is the seventh psychosocial stage where adults feel the need to create and nurture beings that will outlast them, primarily by having children. It can also be done by creating a positive change that positively influences other people’s lives. In addition, it creates a sense of accomplishment.

In adulthood, individuals will feel accomplished depending on their level of involvement in their homes and the community (Ebrahimi et al. 2017). The last stage of psychosocial development is the integrity vs despair stage, which occurs in old age as one reflects in life. People will look back and reflect on the life they lived. As such, they can be happy for their accomplishments or regret the things they did or ought to have done. Successful navigation through the last stage results in feelings of wisdom, while failure leads to regret, bitterness, and despair.

According to Erikson’s identity theory, individuals will always experience developmental conflicts that may result in a lifelong struggle in making meaningful connections when not resolved. Through each of the eight stages of psychosocial development, people will experience psychosocial crises that can positively or negatively impact their personalities. For example, in my current intimacy vs isolation stage, individuals experience isolation and intimacy-related crises as they attempt to establish meaningful relationships. Completing each stage or any unresolved issues may affect your personal identity development. As individuals start to share themselves more intimately in this stage, some find partners to share their sorrows, and successes and to spend time with. However, others tend to avoid intimacy and retreat into isolation, which indicates that they have not resolved their developmental conflict of intimacy vs isolation (Tyler, 2020). Resolving my developmental crisis at this stage is an outstanding achievement since it has enabled me to experience successful friendships and romantic relationships.

As I interact with the young adults and teenagers who may need my services, I successfully help them navigate the identity role confusion stage. The failure to do this may affect their transition to the intimacy vs isolation stage and consequently their navigation through the other two stages. For the elderly, however, I encourage them to have meaningful social relationships where they can create memories, laugh, share their experiences, and avoid social isolation and loneliness, which can further develop into depression. Countering feelings of depression and low self-esteem early enough is essential since depression may lead to struggles with sleep regulation, reduced physical activity, effects on immune and circulatory systems, self-destructive behaviors and shifts in cognitive function.

Alternative Identity Theory: The Social Identity Theory

The social identity theory presents an interplay between personal and social identities. The theory seeks to understand and predict the situations under which individuals think of themselves as part of a group instead of being separate individuals. Proposed by Tajfel and Turner (1979), the theory suggests that groups such as football games, family, or social class are a vital source of pride and self-esteem. The theory’s baseline is the general conviction that group membership can enhance understanding the people concerned about their group interactions and instill meaning in social groupings. These give individuals a sense of social identity. The view then postulates that individuals define their place in society regarding three psychological processes; social categorization, social comparison, and social identification. Social categorization describes people’s tendency to group themselves and others into social categories other than separate unique beings. Categorization enhances our self-identification since we understand who we are through these categories. Individuals will also define the desirable behaviors by referring to the norms and values of their group.

On the other hand, social identification presents that people perceive social situations as players and not as detached observers. Therefore, this means that people will adopt the group’s identity that has categorized themselves as belonging to (Chung & Rimal, 2016). Their understanding of who they are and their role in society is implicated in their perception of those around them. For instance, if one categorizes themselves as students, they will then identify with student groups and start to act in a manner that presents their acceptance of students’ values.

When growing up, I perceived older teens playing basketball in our courtyard with admiration since I could see the positive interactions and energy that emanated from the game. This social association has dramatically influenced my liking for basketball, so I started relating to them even before I learned the sport. The intergroup behavior was my motivation as I could see how they connected and how each member felt accepted in the membership. According to the theory, the social behavior of an individual is influenced by the character, the person’s group membership, and interpersonal behavior.

Social comparison, however, is the process of according people or a group relative value or social standing depending on their roles in society. For instance, university lectures may be seen to be of a higher social status than elementary school teachers. So, individuals will categorize themselves as part of a particular group, identify with the group, and compare their involvement, roles, and membership to that of other groups. As a result, the group will accord value to them to enhance their image, and hence this causes them to focus on the negative attributes of their rival groups and rise above them (Chung & Rimal, 2016). Despite having my preferred social identity in my daily interactions with the elderly, I strive to overcome prejudiced views developed in social categorization. Despite the proposition that group members of an in-group focus on amplifying the negative aspects of an out-group based on their differences to enhance their self-image, it is essential to advance tolerance for other groups to avoid the harmful effects of prejudice stereotyping.

Social Work Code of Ethics

The National Association of Social Workers seeks to promote human wellbeing by meeting their basic needs with a critical focus on the oppressed, vulnerable, and living in deplorable conditions (NASW, 2021). Social work satisfies various unique values, including service, integrity, competence, the dignity and worth of a person, and the essentiality of human relationships. The profession is guided by several ethical principles developed from the core values that form the foundation of service. One of the ethical principles developed from service includes the duty to help people in need through their social problems.

As I watched my best friend go into the foster system that later turned out worse than her initial home, I wanted to change the system and do my best to help children get their best match for foster parenting. As a social worker volunteering with the elderly, I strive to put the clients’ services above my interests. I draw on my knowledge, values, and skills to help people get solutions for their social problems. Sometimes all they need is a listening ear as they drift through their experiences. My joy is in knowing that my little efforts make a significant impact in making the lives of the elderly easier in their last days.

The other ethical principle that guides my social work is drawn from the dignity and worth of the person. Therefore, I endeavor to treat every person in a caring and respectful manner, understanding and appreciating their cultural, ethnic, and individual differences without using them as a reason to offer substandard services. My interest is in ensuring the dignity of these older people is preserved despite the various compromised state of life they may be in.

Paradigm Thinking

Komatsu et al. (2018) defines a paradigm shift as a theory or a group of propositions regarding how something should be done, viewed, or understood. It is the transition in thinking where the old way of doing something is replaced with a new one deemed more suitable. Paradigm shift, therefore, presents the establishment of new ways of thinking where theory, research, and practice are linked into a continuous interplay (Komatsu et al., 2018). My interactions with the elderly have immensely widened my understanding of what they care about most in their daily lives.

The current healthcare system strives to accommodate the old in setting policies regarding their medication and accommodation. However, the elderly is more interested in maintaining autonomy by making small decisions that affect their elderly days. They have accepted their lives, functional decline, and even impending death. They would love to decide who to spend time with, where to spend their last days, the treatments to receive and those not to depending on the impact on their lives. Therefore, a paradigm shift is essential on routine care and medical care policies among the elderly to ensure their most treasured wishes and social interactions are respected. Excessive medication in care-seeking models is unnecessary for the elderly since most have already accepted their life’s journey and are living their day-to-day best moments.  

References

Chung, A., & Rimal, R. (2016). Social norms: a review. Review of Communication Research, 4, 1-28. https:// doi.org/10.12840/issn.2255-4165.2016.04.01.00

Davis, K. & Weinstein, E. (2017). Identity development in the digital age: An Eriksonian perspective. In M.F. Wright (Ed.), Identity, sexuality, and relationships among emerging adults in the digital age (pp. 1-17). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Ebrahimi, L., Amri, M., Mohamadlou, M. & Rezapur, R. (2017). Attachment Styles, Parenting Styles, and Depression. Int J Ment Health Addiction 15, 1064–1068

Erikson, E. H. (1979). Identity And the Life Cycle. A Reissue, Norton, New York.

Gerson, M & Neilson, L. (2016). The Importance of Identity Development, Principled Moral Reasoning, and Empathy as Predictors of Openness to Diversity in Emerging Adults. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014553584

Komatsu, H., Yagasaki, K., Kida, H., Eguchi, Y., & Niimura, H. (2018). Preparing for a paradigm shift in aging populations: listen to the oldest old. International journal of qualitative studies on health and wellbeing, 13(1), 1511768. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2018.1511768

National Association of Social Workers NASW (2021). Code of Ethics. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict. In W. G. Austin, & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-37). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.

 Tyler, S. (2020). Psychosocial Development in Early Adulthood. 24. University of Arkansas. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Social_Work_and_Human_Services/Remix%3A_Human_Behavior_and_the_Social_Environment_I_(Tyler)/10%3A_Development