Socioemotional Development
In the field of child psychology, research papers are often written about Erikson's theory on socioemotional development. Have Paper Masters help you understand socioemotional development as a psychological construct and target your research paper on any aspect of this theory that you need explored.
Psychologist Erik Erikson developed the theory of socioemotional development in response to Freud's psychosexual theories of development. Erikson believed that identity developed throughout a person's lifespan, and was characterized by a series of crises that the individual must resolve in order to move on. Unlike other theorists, socioemotional development proceeds whether the crisis is resolved or not.
Socioemotional Development and Erikson
Erikson's theory of socioemotional development proceeded along eight stages, beginning in infancy and ending in old age. Issues such as trust versus mistrust, initiative versus guilt, intimacy versus isolation, and ego integrity versus despair are some of the major conflicts that a person will encounter. However, the individual must understand both sides of the issue and embrace them in order to successfully move on.
In the 1990's psychologists Bingham and Stryker proposed that socioemotional development proceeds differently for boys and girls, and developed a five-stage development pattern for girls and women. Their stages are:
- Developing the hardy personality, through age 8;
- Forming an identity as an achiever, through age 12;
- Skill building for self-esteem, through age 16;
- Strategies for self-sufficiency, through age 22;
- Satisfaction in work and love, through adulthood.
One of the main differences for Bingham and Stryker is that girls are frequently socialized to be acquiescent and dependent, and self-esteem is vital.