Erikson and Freud are two of the few theorists who have developed a lifespan approach to development. Freud’s approach to development was psychosexual while Erikson’s was psychosocial. Even though Freud’s theory is better known, Erikson’s theory remains a leading and very much applied model in personality and developmental psychology today.
When considering these two stage-oriented theories, you can directly compare the majority of their stages. These are matched in the following table:
Approximate Age
Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development
Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial development
Infancy (Birth to 1 year)
Oral stage
Trust versus mistrust
Early childhood (1–3 years)
Anal stage
Autonomy versus doubt
Preschool (3–6 years)
Phallic stage
Initiative versus guilt
School age (7–11 years)
Latent period
Industry versus inferiority
Adolescence (12–18 years)
Genital stage
Identity versus role confusion
Young adulthood (19–40 years)
Intimacy versus isolation
Middle adulthood (40–65 years)
Generativity versus stagnation
Older adulthood (65–death)
Integrity versus despair
When considering Erikson's eight stages of development, the way a person moves through each stage directly affects their success in the next stage. Their personality is being built and shaped with each stage. At each stage, there is a turning point, called a crisis by Erikson, which a person must confront.
In this assignment, you will observe or interview two different people, each at a different stage of development. For a third observation, take a look at yourself and the stage that you are in (this stage must be different from your other two observations).
•Record your three observations in a template. Include the following information: ◦Name
◦Age
◦Gender
◦Current developmental stage
◦Status within the stage (i.e., identity achievement or role confusion)
◦Events that have lead to this status
