Erik eriksons stages of development examples

Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory answers a common question: Why do we face different challenges at every stage of life? Expanding on Sigmund Freud’s ideas about early childhood, Erikson showed that human growth continues throughout life.

Each stage presents its own crisis, and how we handle these crises determines who we become. While Freud focused on internal conflicts, Erikson highlighted the influence of relationships and society on shaping our identity.

In this post, I’ll break down Erikson’s 8 stages, using real-life examples and personal experiences to show how these stages apply to every phase of life.

The Problem: Life’s Unavoidable Challenge

We’ve all wondered, “Why does life feel so tough right now?” Erikson’s psychosocial theory explains this by breaking life into eight stages, each with its own challenge.

These challenges are unavoidable, and how we handle them shapes our personality, self-esteem, and relationships.

The Solution: Mastering Eriks