COMPARING AND CONTRASTING ERIK ERIKSON’S STAGEES OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND JAMES MARCIA’S IDENTITY STATUS

       INTRODUCTION

Erik 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 with small changes. Erikson's and Marcia's psychosocial theory of identity James E. Marcia, professor and researcher from Simon Fraser University's Department of Psychology has made four identity statuses which supports Erikson's theory of psychosocial development.

COMPARING AND CONTRASTING ERIK ERIKSON’S STAGEES OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND JAMES MARCIA’S IDENTITY STATUS

ERIK ERIKSON’S STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Stage One – Trust vs Mistrust

The first stage of the Erikson stages starts from infant to about 18 months. At this stage, infants must learn how to trust others, particularly those who care for their basic needs. They should feel that they are being cared for and that all their needs are met. Small babies are new to this world and may view the outside world as threatening. Depending on how they are treated by people around them, the sense of threat can be replaced by trust. When this happens, they gain a sense of security and begin to learn to trust people around them. The first and most important person to teach an infant about trust is usually the parents. Parents are expected to take good care of their children and attend to their needs. For example, the parents of a baby provide him with food, shelter, sustenance and make him feel very comfortable and secure.

Stage Two – Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt

At stage two of the Erikson stages, children should be taught the basic ways of taking care of themselves, including changing their clothes and feeding themselves. If a child can’t take care of his own basic needs and continue to rely on others to take care of him, he may feel shameful when he sees that other kids of his own age are able to perform tasks such as feeding themselves.

Stage Three – Initiative vs Guilt

As children continue to grow up, they like to explore and do things on their own. At stage three of the Erikson stages, children can learn new concepts introduced in school and are expected to practice these lessons in real life. They know that they can accomplish these tasks on their own, but if they fail to do so and end up asking for assistance from others, they may feel a sense of guilt.

Stage Four – Industry vs Inferiority

At Erikson’s psychosocial stage four, children mature and their level of self-awareness increases. They understand logical reasoning, scientific facts, and other matters that are typically taught in school. Children also become more competitive during this Erikson stage of development. They want to do things that other children of the same age can do. When they make the effort to perform a task and succeed, they develop self-confidence. However, if they fail, they tend to feel that they are inferior to others.

      

Stage Five – Identity vs Role Confusion

During adolescence, young people are expected to develop their sexual identity. This is gained through the discovery of oneself and in the course of finding meaning to their personhood. They may also experience identity crisis as a result of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Some adolescents may feel confused and are unsure whether an activity is age-appropriate for them. Crisis at this stage may also be brought about by expectations from themselves and from people around them, e.g. their parents.

Stage Six – Intimacy vs Isolation

Stage six of the Erikson stages is very apparent for young adults who are in their 30s. People at this stage become worried about finding the right partner and fear that if they fail to do so, they may have to spend the rest of their lives alone. Young adults are most vulnerable to feel intimacy and loneliness because they interact with a lot of people in this phase of their lives. It’s not always a success story for every young adult to find someone with whom they can share a lifelong commitment. Some may choose to spend the rest of their lives as singles.

Stage Seven – Generativity versus Stagnation

Adults who are in their 40s and 50s tend to find meaning in their work. They feel like at this point in their lives, they should be able to contribute something meaningful to the society and leave a legacy. If they fail to achieve this, they feel like they have been an unproductive member of the society.

Stage Eight – Ego Integrity vs Despair

At the last stage of the Erikson stages, people are in their 60s or older who are typically retirees. It is important for them to feel a sense of fulfillment knowing that they have done something significant during their younger years. When they look back in their life, they feel content, as they believe that they have lived their life to the fullest. If they feel that they haven’t done much during their life, it’s likely that they will experience a sense of despair.

 

JAMES MARCIA’S IDENTITY STATUSES

James Marcia is a Canadian developmental psychologist who expanded on Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. His research and writings have largely focused on adolescent development. His work was to identify and classify processes that adolescents go through when they experience identity crises. The four processes that Marcia defined are:

FORECLOSURE

In this state, an adolescent may blindly accept whatever ideology or values system that has been given to them from their parents or family members. This indicates a “pseudo-identity” that is too rigid or fixed to meet life’s future crises (Slavin).

IDENTITY DIFFUSION

This state is a struggle of identity that is marked by no real progress in deciding an occupation or ideology of one’s own. There is no commitment to anything or ability to develop one’s sense of self. An individual may have had an identity crisis, but it would not have been resolved (Slavin).

MORATORIUM

This state marks little real commitment to an ideology or occupation but is also a state of experimentation. It also marks an ongoing identity crisis and the examination of alternate life choices (Slavin).

IDENTITY ACHIEVEMENT

This state is the state of clarity and of development of one’s identity. It marks a commitment to an ideology or more direction in terms of occupational goals. These decisions have been autonomously made and developed by a formed ego identity.

So, how does this apply to teaching adolescents? Well, as Marcia said, the successful resolution of industry and identity leaves one with the skills and confidence they will need to pursue a career or vocational direction (Marcia). Though Marcia did not believe that the identity process began and ended in adolescence, it is clear that he felt that this state was a vulnerable state for a person. As instructors, this means we need to be providing a safe learning environment where adolescents can not only learn but interact, meet their need for intimacy and explore identity.

CONCLUSION

Based on Erik Erikson’s groundbreaking work on identity and psychosocial development in the 1960s, Canadian developmental psychologist James Marcia refined and extended Erikson’s model, primarily focusing on adolescent development^[1][2]. Addressing Erikson’s notion of identity crisis, Marcia posited that the adolescent stage consists neither of identity resolution nor identity confusion, but rather the degree to which one has explored and committed to an identity in a variety of life domains from vocation, religion, relational choices, gender roles, and so on. Marcia’s theory of identity achievement argues that two distinct parts form an adolescent’s identity: crisis (i. e. a time when one’s values and choices are being reevaluated) and commitment. He defined a crisis as a time of upheaval where old values or choices are being reexamined. The end outcome of a crisis leads to a commitment made to a certain role or value.

REFERENCE

Blustein, DL (1989). "Relationship between the Identity Formation Process and Career Development". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 36: 196–202.

Robert Mcg. Thomas Jr., "Joan Erikson Is Dead at 95; Shaped Thought on Life Cycles," New York Times obituary, August 8, 1997. Online at https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/08/us/joan-erikson-is-dead-at-95-shaped-thought-on-life-cycles.html.

Marcia, James E. (1966). "Development and validation of egoidentity status".Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Erik H. Erikson, Joan M. Erikson, The Life Cycle Completed: Extended Version (W. W. Norton, 1998), 4, 105.