The Development And Growth Of A Child Into Their Adult Years

Throughout the decades, there have been many theorists that have contributed their ideas and proposals, in regards to what they believe affects the development and growth of a child into their adult years. Three of these successful theorists include: Erik Erikson, Daniel Levinson, and George Herbert Mead. They each studied the developmental stages throughout one’s life in their own perspectives, each proposing a new and revised theory. Born in 1902, Erik Erikson was a psychologist best known for his study and theory of psychosocial development and the concept of the identity crisis. He has published a number of books on his theories and research, including Childhood and Society, The Life Cycle Completed, and Gandhi’s Truth. As a student†¦show more content†¦Mistrust†. Therefore, depending on how the child is raised and treated throughout this stage, determines whether the child learns to trust the world and his surroundings to fulfill his needs. Erikson believed that although there are different challenges the individual must successfully master at each stage, these issues overlap with the issues of another level. This is because how one deals with the earlier challenges determines how one will resolve later challenges, as there is a connection between present patterns of thinking and feeling, and the earlier unresolved and/or resolved development issues. Going back to the example with the ch ild, if he/she does not learn to trust in this stage, then trust will remain an unresolved issue throughout the subsequent stages of development. Erikson’s theory is extremely important and significant in terms of understanding the growth and development of an individual. His theory helps to explain the levels of conflict that every individual must undergo, and the possibilities that may arise if the individual in unsuccessful and does not overcome the challenges that he/she is faced with. As stated in the example above, if the child did not learn to trust in the first stage, it will affect him in all the following stages, as he/she will continue to have a lack of trust in the world. Erikson’s theory helps us to understand why some people lack certain feelings or emotions, as we can now recognize that the