Erik Erikson Biography

Erik Erikson Biography

The identity crisis and Erik Erikson’s renowned psychosocial development theory are two of his most well-known theories. His views brought about a significant shift in how people view personality; rather than concentrating only on early childhood experiences, his psychosocial theory considers how social forces shape our personalities throughout our entire lives.

Erikson had been a Neo-Freudian psychologist who contributed his theories and beliefs while accepting many of the fundamental principles of Freudian theory. His concept of psychosocial development is based on the idea that everyone goes through a set of eight stages, which is known as the epigenetic principle. Erik Erikson spent time researching the Yurok of northern California and the Sioux of South Dakota. He used the information he learned about social, cultural, and environmental variables to advance his psychoanalytic theory.

While Erikson’s inclusion of additional influences served to widen and expand psychoanalytic theory, Freud’s theory concentrated on the psychosexual aspects of development. He also contributed to our knowledge of how personality changes and evolves during life. His observations of kids also paved the way for more investigation.”

In his New York Times obituary, he was quoted as saying, “Watching a child play is so similar to watching an artist paint because a child says things in play without saying a word. You can observe his problem-solving techniques. You can also observe the issue. Particularly young kids are very creative, and whatever’s inside them comes out during unstructured play.”

Erikson’s Reputation

The lifespan of human development has attracted attention and been the subject of research thanks to Erikson’s stage concept of psychological development. Erikson, an ego psychologist and student of Anna Freud, developed psychoanalytic theory by examining lifelong development, including experiences in adolescence, adulthood, & old age.

Life as a child

Frankfurt, Germany, was the place of Erik Erikson’s birth on June 15, 1902. Karla Abrahamsen, Erik’s young Jewish mother, raised Erik on her alone for a while before being hitched to Dr. Theodore Homberger. For many years, Erikson was kept in the dark about the idea that Homberger was not his birth father. Erikson felt uncertain about who he truly was when he eventually discovered the truth. “He was his mother’s child out of an adulterous affair, contrary to the widely accepted narrative that his parents had split up before his birth. He never got to meet his mother’s first spouse or his birth father.” — The New York Times, May 13, 1994, Erikson’s obituary.

Authenticity

His interest in the emergence of identity was sparked by this early experience. Later, he would say that as a youngster, he frequently experienced identity and social integration issues. His memories in school led to the further development of his interest in identity. He endured bullying at his Jewish temple school for being a tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and Nordic-looking lad who stuck out from the other students. He was sent away from grammar school due to his Jewish heritage. His interest in brand experience was sparked by these early encounters, which also influenced his later work.

Teenage

It’s noteworthy that Erikson never earned a professional degree in psychology or medicine. He was mostly interested in history, Latin, and art while attending the Das Humanistische Gymnasium. Erikson spent a short time in art school despite his stepfather, a physician, wanting him to attend medical school. He quickly left and spent time traveling over Europe with pals as he thought about who he was.

Teaching

He accepted a teaching post at a progressive school founded by Dorothy Burlingham, a colleague of Anna Freud, thanks to an approach from a friend. Erikson’s relationship with kids quickly caught Freud’s attention, and he urged him to pursue official training in psychoanalysis.

Erikson met Sigmund Freud at a party, worked with Burlingham and Freud there at school for several more years, and even treated Anna Freud, according to his obituary. Erikson once remarked, “Psychoanalysis wasn’t as formal then.

Home

At the institution where he worked, Erikson met Joan Season, a Canadian dance instructor. After being married in 1930, the couple had three kids. American sociologist Kai T. Erikson, his son, is well-known. Erikson immigrated to the country in 1933 and was allowed to teach at Harvard Medical School despite not having a formal education. He held a post at Harvard as well as a private child psychoanalysis practice.

Times Later

He eventually had teaching posts at Yale, the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, the Austen Riggs Center, the University of California at Berkeley, as well as the Center for Advanced Studies of the Behavioral Sciences. His views and research were the subjects of several books, notably “Childhood and Society” & “The Life Cycle Completed.”