Characteristics of Psychosocial Development

Whether or not you can deal with the difficulties life throws at you has a lot to do with your psychosocial development, and it can be helpful to understand what is meant by the terms involved in the study of the topis and where you are struggling. The theory of psychosocial development was conceived by psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, who believed that if certain aims are not achieved in early life, a person will continue to face difficulties in their adult life. The characteristics of psychosocial developments are broken down by Erikson into eight stages.

Hope, Willpower and Direction

• Erikson theorized that In the first 18 months of their life, people seek to discover if they can trust others, themselves and the world around them. If a child is tended to and nurtured effectively by his parents, he learns he can trust people, which imbues in him the characteristic of hope. As toddlers, Erikson believed kids need a balance of autonomy, shame and doubt in order to develop willpower. He suggests that parents must allow children to learn things by themselves but be firm with social rules. Between the ages of three and six, people develop moral judgment and begin to feel guilt when they have done something wrong. This should be maintained in proper perspective, as adults seek to foster children's imaginations and encourage them to go through with their ideas. Erikson believed fostering kids' imaginations imbues individuals with a sense of courage and direction.

Competency and Fidelity

• The next three characteristics developed in children are competency, fidelity and love. The first of these is fostered in children between the ages of six and 12. Erikson believed that kids at this age must feel that they are successful at something in order to become industrious in the future. It has been argued that the adolescent years are an important stage when people become comfortable with themselves, become independent, gain a sense of achievement and learn about relationships. Erikson's theory echoes many of these ideas in his suggestion that a teenager must identify what their role in society is through rites of passage. This allows them to feel comfortable living within society's standards.

Love and Caring

• Between the ages of 20 and 30, Erikson theorized that people need to free themselves of the fear of commitment and find someone with whom they can settle down into an intimate relationship. If devotion to each other means that the couple are able to look past disagreements, he suggests that they have learned the characteristic of love. In middle age, people go beyond love and become caring. During this stage, they learn to become less selfish in their desires and care for the next generation. For instance, they love their children without need for reward.

Wisdom

• The older adult is defined as one who is at retirement age. These people may find themselves becoming ill or more frail and entering old age. At this point, it is important to be able to come to terms with life and thus come to terms with death. By doing this, Erikson believed that people gain the characteristic of wisdom.