Freud vs. Erikson

The Life and Works of

Freud vs. Erikson

Sigmund Freud

Erik Erikson

"father of psychoanalysis"

"founder of psychosocial stages"

• Lived from 1856-1939: died before WWII

Similarities

• Received a medical degree in 1881, specialized in neurology

• Lived from 1902-1994: His life and ideas influenced by wars and revolutions of the last century

• 1885-1923: Main working years in which many of his theories were published

• He never received a degree in medicine or psychology but instead wandered Europe and contemplated his identity

• He studied psychoanalysis with Freud's daughter, Anna, and later became a professor at Harvard.

Psychosocial Stages

• Most famous for his theory of psychosocial development
• This theory included 8 stages that stretched over entire lifespan
• These stages focused on social events and desire to affiliate with other people rather than sexual desires

Conflict and Resolution

• Believed mind consisted of 3 structures: id (devil); superego (angel); ego (mediator between id and superego)

• Freud and Erikson studied and expanded field of psychoanalysis
• Similar ideas of the structure and levels of the mind; Freud focused on id and Erikson focused on ego
• Agreed that the unconscious mind had an important influence on personality development
• Both had series of stages that developed the ego
• Both believed personality developed in a certain order and each stage built off the previous one
• Freud's stages and Erikson's first 5 stages have similar age ranges and themes (ex. ages 1-3 begin controling specific actions, ages 7-11 master new skills, and adult stages focus on romantic relationships at some point)
• They agreed that each stage has a conflict that the individual needs to resolve in order to develop successfully
• Both theories acknowledge that traumatic childhood experiences will affect the individual's development

• Each stage includes a unique developmental conflict that must be resolved
• If the crisis is resolved successfully, the individual will gain basic virtues and emotional strength needed for the next stage
• If the crisis is resolved unsuccessfully, the individual will have problems with future stages
• Unsuccessful stages can be resolved at a later time

• Developed theory that mind consisted of 3 levels: conscious (current thoughts); preconscious (memory that can be retrieved); unconscious (repressed memories that are the real cause of behaviour)

• Theorized dream analysis and believed dreams and 'Freudian slips' were like windows into the unconscious mind

• Theorized the ego's use of defense mechanisms to protect itself and relieve conflict between id and superego, ex. denial, repression, regression,

Psychosexual Stages

Identity Crisis

• Development driven by sexual desires

• Developed 5 psychosexual stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital) that occured from birth to adolescence

• Erikson coined the term 'identity crisis'
• An identity crisis is 'a time of intensive analysis and exploration of different ways of looking at oneself'
• He believed this stage was the most important conflict during development

• Each stage includes a critical period in which the individual needs to resolve a conflict between pleasure and reality.

• Personality is determined by how conflict is resolved.

Criticisms

• If conflict is not resolved due to needs being over or undermet then fixation can occur. This causes individual to become locked at this stage.

• Stages include experiences that are relatable to a variety of people.
• However, the causes of development are vague and he does not say how the outcome of one stage will affect personality later on.
• These stages are only framework for development rather than testable theory

Freud was criticised on:

• the orginality of his ideas
• his ideas being biased due to his European, white male privilege
• excluding cultural variables
• his theories being overly sexualized.

Bibliograpy

Textbook

Leung, K., MacKenzie-Rivers, A., Malcomson, T., Santrock, J.W. Life-Span Development

Fourth Canadian Edition. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited

Websites

Thornton, S. (n.d.). Sigmund Freud (1856-1839). Retrieved March 6, 2016, from

http://www.iep.utm.edu/freud/#H1

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Sigmund Freud. Retrieved March 6, 2016 from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html

Erik Erikson Biography (1902-1994). (2015, July 2). Retreived March 6, 2016, from

http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_erikson.htm

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved March 6, 2016, from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

Osinski, A. (n.d.). Similarities & Differences Between Freud & Erikson. Retrieved

March 6, 2016, from http://www.ehow.com/info_11402345_freud-vs-erickson-stages-development.html

Images

Kirjeldus Sigmund Freud LIFE.jpg [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retreived from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud

Sigmund Freud Theories: Psychosexual Stages, Libido and Fixation [Photograph]. (n.d.)

Retrieved from http://www.positive-parenting-ally.com/sigmund-freud.html

Model of the mind comprising the entities id ego and superego [Photograph]. 2013.

Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html

Erik Erikson | Genograms [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from

Nicole Desrosiers

http://www.genograms.us/genogram-stories/erik-erikson/

Erik Erikson | Psychosocial Stages | Simply Psychology [Photograph]. 2013. Retrieved from

http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

Identity Crisis [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retreived from

http://www.lookfordiagnosis.com/mesh_info.php?term=Identity+Crisis&lang=1