ESSENTIAL WEPA

INTRODUCTION R efining and extending Erik Erikson’s work, James Marcia came up with four Identity Statuses of psychological identity development. The main idea is that one’s sense of identity is determined largely by the choices and commitments made regarding certain personal and social traits. Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a pupil of Sigmund Freud and the first child psychoanalyst in Boston. After extensive study of children from various cultural backgrounds and areas he began to compile this information to form his theories on development, personality, and what forms our identity. Erikson’s theory breaks down psychosocial development into eight (and eventually a final ninth) stages. These stages are delineated by age and characterized by a struggle or crisis that must be overcome in order to adapt and continue to develop. Here is a breakdown of the stages: Infancy (Birth-18 months) – At this stage, we as human beings are completely dependant, helpless. We rely on an extern...

       INTRODUCTION E rik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development emphasizes the sociocultural determinants of development and presents them as eight stages of psychosocial conflicts (often known as Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development) that all individuals must overcome or resolve successfully in order to adjust well to the environment. According to Erik Erikson’s theory, we all encounter a certain crisis that contributes to our psychosocial growth at each of Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Whenever we experience such crisis, we are left with no choice but to face it and think of ways to resolve it. Failure to overcome such crisis may lead to significant impact on our psychosocial development. James E. Marcia: Marcia is the current professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University situated at Vancouver. He has done his P. hd in psychology. He was the one who supported 8 stages of Erikson's theory and presented his own new theory wi...

         INTRODUCTION C onflict resolution education programs focus on developing critical skills and abilities for a person to deal constructively with conflict. In most cases these programs occur in schools, but they may also be used in after-school programs, community centers, church groups, etc. What do children learn in conflict resolution education? These programs give children an understanding of the nature of conflict-what conflict is and how it develops as well as what one can do to manage it. Children learn to appreciate that conflict exists whenever there is a disagreement about goals and/or methods to achieve those goals; and as a result, conflict is natural, necessary, and important. Children learn to understand the dynamics of power and influence that operate in all conflict situations. Furthermore, they become aware of the role of culture in how we see and respond to conflict. An awareness of the nature of conflict helps children apprecia...

INTRODUCTION A verage persons, unschooled in philosophical reasoning, assume that when they make a choice they are free to choose from among various alternatives , the simplest of which are to assent or deny - to say yes or no - to some simple action. Humans everywhere have what Immanuel Kant called "The Idea of Freedom" in his great work Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals . Kant based his "categorical imperatives" - without which morality and responsibility would be impossible - on the presumed fact that freedom is a universal idea. Now determinists generally deny both freedom and moral responsibility , while compatibilists generally assert a special form of free will compatible with determinism that allows them to defend responsibility .   But note the curious fact that all the participants in the free will debates are in basic agreement with Kant that there exists an Idea of Freedom , even as some deny that there is something phenomenally and ph...

                       INTRODUCTION W hen people communicate effectively, they are able to talk openly about what is on their mind and develop a shared understanding. Effective communication helps families and staff to share important and relevant information about children. The entire world is either wired or wrapped within the web of an overwhelming communication environment. Whether it is the plain old telephone system (POTS), cellular service or the World Wide Web there is no adjective that can truly describe the communications revolution. Things that were once reserved to the privileged few that could afford them are now commonplace, such as cellular phones and computers. What would we do without these elements of communication if they were all to disappear? As you can imagine a scenario such as this would qualify as a disaster of great magnitude! COMMUNICATION...