Essay: Developmental Theorists

Sample Essay

Words 1,876

The developmental stages proposed by Erik Erikson are synchronized with the way people spend their lives. Like his theory, there are two extremes in every situation. Either a person is a pessimist/optimist, truthful/untruthful, or fun /boring. In other words, there are two extremes to each situation and they shape are lives immensely.

His eight developmental stages walk a person through different life stages and how his/her personality is developed within each time period. For example, when a child is young and his parents pay him no attention he will probably grow up and face many problems because he wasn’t loved. On the other hand, if parents fulfill every desire their child has, never say no to him, and smother him with unconditional love it is very likely that this child will face many problems too when he grows up. Henceforth, it is better to maintain a balance between our actions. Saying yes or no to a child at the right times can dictate how the child will fit in to society and develop his personality. In order to achieve balance in any aspect of life both extremes of a situation need to be understood and analyzed to make good decisions. Our interaction with society carves our personality and how society treats us has a huge affect on us. Erikson’s theory does not ignore the fact the culture affects personality development. He understands that how people are treated by society members (which include parents, extended family and all other people) greatly shapes their personality and that either extreme of the situation can never lead to a good outcome.

Personality development is the most important aspect of a person life because through it a person measures himself and his potential. If a person can understand that an extreme action can never lead to a good ending he or she can lead a balanced life which might possibly be more fulfilling.

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