Erik H. Erikson 爱利克·埃里克森

"Human personality in principle develops according to steps predetermined in the growing person's readiness tobe driven toward, to be aware of and to interact with a widening social radius."

     --- Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson was born in Frankfurt, Germany on June 15, 1902.

Erik Erikson die in Harwich, Massachusetts, 1994.

Erikson's biological father, who was Danish, had left before Erikson was born. He was adopted by his Jewish stepfather, and took the name Erik Homberger. But because of his blond-and-blue-eyed Nordic look, Erikson was rejected by his Jewish neighbors. At grammar school, on the other hand, he was teased for being Jewish. Feeling not fitting in with either culture, Erikson's identity crises began at an early age. Around 1920, instead of going to college (for disliking the formal education  structure), Erikson traveled around Europe, keeping a diary of his experiences.  Came to the U.S. in 1933 and became Boston's first child analyst.

He was an artist and a teacher in the late 1920's when he met Anna Freud, and began to study child psychoanalyses from her and at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. He immigrated to the United States in 1933. He obtained a position at the Harvard Medical School, and later on, held positions at institutions including Yale, Berkeley, the Menninger Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciencesat Palo Alto, and the Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco.

His special interest in the influence of society and culture on child development had led him to study groups of AmErikan Indian children. He was also concerned with the effects the rapid social changes in AmErika on generation gap, racial tensions, juvenile delinquency, changing sexual roles, and the dangers of nuclear war. He is credited for widening the scope of psychoanalytic theory to take greater account of social, cultural, and other environmental factors.

Publications by Erikson

1.    Erikson, E.H. (1950).Childhood and Society.New York: Norton. 

2.    Erikson, E.H. (1958).Young Man Luther.New York: Norton. 

3.    Erikson, E.H. (1964).Insight and Responsibility.New York: Norton. 

4.    Erikson, E.H. (1968).Identity: Youth and Crisis.New York: Norton. 

5.    Erikson, E.H. (1974).Dimensions of a New Identity.New York: Norton. 

6.    Erikson, E.H. (1975).Life History and the Historical Moment.New  York: Norton. 

7.    Erikson, E.H. & Erikson, J. M. (1987).The Life Cycle Completed.   W.W. Norton & Co. 

8.    Erikson, E.H. (1996).Dialogue With Erik Erikson.Richard I. Evans  (Ed.), Jason Aronson.

Biographies of Erikson

1.    Friedman, L. J. (1999).Identity's Architect; A Biography of Erik H.  Erikson.Scribner Book Co. 

2.    Coles, R. (1970).Erik H. Erikson: The Growth of His Work.Boston:  Little, Brown.

Erik Erikson's stage theory of psychosocial development

Erik Erikson's stage theory of psychosocial development helped create interest and research on human development through the lifespan. An ego psychologist who studied with Anna Freud, Erikson expanded psychoanalytic theory by exploring development throughout the life, including events of childhood, adulthood, and old age. Learn more in this guide to Erik Erikson's life and theories.

Erik Erikson Biography

Best-known for his famous theory of psychosocial development and the concept of the identity crisis, Erik Erikson’s theories continue to remain influential today and contributed to our understanding of personality development throughout the lifespan. Learn more about his life, career, and how early experiences led to his interest in identity in this Erik Erikson biography.

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is one of the best-known theories of personality. Similar to Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of stages. Unlike Freud’s theory of psychosexual stages, Erikson’s theory describes the impact of social experience across the whole lifespan.

Psychosocial Stages Summary Chart

This summary chart provides an outline of the stages in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. Each stage is centered on a conflict that must be resolved. Learn more about the important events in each stage and the potential outcomes of succeeding or failing to resolve these conflicts.

Erik Erikson and Identity Crisis

Are you unsure of your role in life? Do you feel like you don’t know the ‘real you’? If so, you may be experiencing an identity crisis. Theorist Erik Erikson coined the term “identity crisis” and believed that it was one of the most important conflicts people face in development. According to Erikson, an identity crisis is a time of intensive analysis and exploration of different ways of looking at oneself. Learn more about identity crisis, Erik Erikson, and identity research.

Quiz – Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

Now that you’ve learned more about Erik Erikson’s life and theories, it’s time to see how much you’ve learned. Test your knowledge of Erikson’s eight stages of development in this quiz.