Erik Erikson: The Lifespan Theorist and His Contribution to the Field of Psychology with His Developmental TheoryErik Erikson (1902-1994) made a contribution to the field of psychology with his theory of development. He discusses psychosocial stages, although he does not discuss psychosexual stages, his ideas were influenced by Freud. Erikson delves into Freudian thought by focusing on the adaptive and creative characteristics of the ego and extending the notion of stages of personality development, which includes the entire spam of life. He developed eight psychosocial stages that humans encounter throughout their lives. The stages are trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame and doubt, initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority. His developmental thesis centers on what we know as the epigenetic principle, which proposes that every human goes through eight stages. In each of them, people face a crisis that must be successfully resolved to develop the central psychological quality in each stage. The eight stages of his theory are something every psychology student learns as they explore the history of personality according to psychology. Much like the psychoanalyst Freud, Erikson believed that personality develops in a series of stages. Erikson's theory marked a shift that describes the impact of social experiences throughout the life span instead of simply focusing on childhood. He worked with what he knew, what he saw and what was at hand. Inevitably, as a result, many doubt whether his ideas are still valid. So if Erik Erikson seems irrelevant today, it's because the world has changed, even if human nature hasn't changed. While Freud's theories had focused on the psychosexual aspect of development, Erikson's addition of other influences helped to broaden and expand psychoanalytic theory. It has also contributed to our understanding of personality as it develops and forms throughout life. His observations of children also helped set the stage for further research. To fit an entire life into a few pages, we had to ignore countless details. Even though much is missing, the result is a clear picture of an entire life. Psychosocial dilemmas are important events in many lives. Knowing them can allow you to anticipate typical trouble spots in your life