Child Adolescent Learning Principle

Erik Erikson
 Birthday: June 15, 1902  Spouse/Ex-: Joan Erikson
 Nationality: Canadian, German, American  Father: Waldemar Isidor Salomonsen
 Died At Age: 91  Mother: Karla Abrahamsen
 Born Country: Germany  Children: Jon Erikson, Kai T. Erikson, Sue
 Born In: Frankfurt Am Main, Germany Erikson
 Famous As: American-German  Religion: Jewish
Psychologist  Died On: May 12, 1994

 Erik Erikson was born in Frankfurt, Germany to Karla Abrahamsen and Waldemar Isidor Salomonsen,
who was a Jewish stockbroker. He was born to his mother under the circumstances where his mother
had not seen his father for several months.
 He was registered as Erik Salomonsen at birth and there is no information available about his
biological father. Shortly after he was born, his mother moved to Karlsruhe to become a nurse and
got remarried to a pediatrician, Theodor Homburger.
 In 1911, Erickson was officially adopted by his stepfather, Theodor Homburger and he became Erik
Homburger. The story of his birth was kept from him for a long time and he grew up not knowing who
his real father was.
 1920- Erikson was a teacher at a private school in Vienna where he became friends with the daughter
of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud. She got him interested in psychoanalysis and he got trained in the
science at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.
 Erikson married Joan Serson Erikson in 1930 and remained married to her until his death. They
had 4 children together. His son, Kai T. Erikson is a prominent American sociologist.
 In 1933, while Erikson was being trained in psychoanalysis, Nazis took over Germany and he had to
leave the country. He first moved to Denmark and then emigrated to States where he became the first
child psychoanalyst in Boston.
 Erikson left Harvard and joined the staff of the California University in 1937. He associated with the
Institute of Child Welfare there and opened his private practice. He also devoted his time in studying
the children of the Yurok tribe.
 1940 – Taught Native American children
 1988 – Young Man Luther, The Life Cycle Completed
 Erikson – registered surname in U.S

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory

 Erik Erikson believed that personality developed in a series of stages.
 Each stage has a conflict that serves as a turning point in development; during these times, the
potential for growth is high but so is the failure
 If successful, will develop psychological strengths; if failure, feelings of inadequacy will rise.
 Note that the positive traits (syntonic) and the negative traits (dystonic) should be balanced to achieve
the optimal outcome for growth.

o Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust (0-18 months old) (Hope)

 Infants have full dependency on their caregivers.
 Trust is developed when their caregivers are consistent and reliable in addressing the infant’s needs.
Mistrust develops when the caregiver is inadequate in providing the infant’s needs to survive.
 Success develops the virtue of hope. Failure leads to development of fear.
 Maladaptation – Sensory Distortion
o Stems from overindulgence of the infant
o Depicted by the infant’s false sense of trust and faulty appreciation of reality
o Malignancy – Withdrawal
 Narrowed repertoire of emotions; usually anger, fear, distress, apathy, and inability to
respond to positive emotions
 o Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Early childhood) (Will)
 This stage is focused on children developing a greater sense of control. If parents allow their child to
explore and let the child discover the limits of their abilities, the child develops autonomy.
 If parents criticize, overly control, and/or not give their children the opportunity to assert themselves,
the child develops shame and doubt
 A delicate balance is required of parents. They must let their child do their activities by themselves
first unless their child asks for assistance. They must not do everything for the child. If the child fails,
the parent should not criticize for any accidents or untoward incidents that will occur.
 Success in this stage develops the virtue of will. Children are more encouraged and develop more
confidence in their own abilities. Failure will lead to lack of self-esteem. Children will tend to feel a
sense of inadequacy in their own abilities and will become overly dependent upon others.
 Maladaptation – Impulsivity
o Shameful willingness; leads the child to engage in behavior without consideration of his own
abilities and consequence to others
o Malignancy – Compulsion
 Child tends to aim for utter perfection and shows extreme reactions to failures and
mistakes

o Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt (Preschool years) (Purpose)

 The child will begin to ask many questions as his thirst for knowledge grows.
 Children begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others. If given the
opportunity, children develop a sense of initiative and feel secure in their ability to lead others and
make decisions.
 Conversely, if said opportunities are either criticized or controlled, children develop a sense of guilt.
They may feel like a nuisance to others and will, therefore, remain followers, lacking in self-initiative.
 A balance should be present where the child takes initiatives but parents, protective as they are, will
not let the child overstep. Do not make the child feel like he is a nuisance or an embarrassment
either.
 Maladaptation – Ruthlessness
o The child becomes uncaring, exploitive, and dispassionate (no conscience)
o Malignancy – Inhibition
 The child becomes overwhelmed with guilt; tendency to avoid adventures and taking
risks

o Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority (5-11 years old) (Competence)

 Teachers will now have an active part in the development of the child.
 Children have the need to win others’ approval by demonstrating specific competencies and skills
valued by society to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments.
 If children are encouraged and reinforced in their initiative, they begin to feel industrious (competent)
and feel confident in their ability to achieve goals.
 On the other hand, if the child is restricted by parents or their teachers, then the child feels inferior.
He will doubt his own abilities and therefore may not reach his potential.
 Maladaptation – Narrow Virtuosity
o The person becomes a workaholic and an obsessive specialist
o Malignancy – Inertia
 If the person experiences failure too often, this manifests as being lazy, apathetic, and
purposeless

o Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence) (Fidelity)

 During adolescence, individuals search for a sense of self and personal identity through an intense
exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals. This is a major stage where the child has to learn
the roles he will occupy as an adult. It is the stage that the adolescent will re-examine his identity and
try to find out exactly who he really is.
 Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement from their experiences will emerge from
this stage with a strong sense of self and feelings of independence and control. Those who remain
unsure of their beliefs and desires will feel insecure and confused about themselves and the future.
This will then develop to identity crisis, which will lead the individual to experiment with different
lifestyles (e.g. work, education or political activities).
 Maladaptation – Fanaticism
 Manifests as being self-important and extremist
 Malignancy – Repudiation
 Denial of the truth or validity of something
 Shown as socially disconnected and cut off from others

o Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-40 years old) (Love)

 In this period, the major conflict centers on forming intimate, loving relationships with other people.
 We begin to share ourselves more intimately with others. We explore relationships leading toward
longer-term commitments with someone other than a family member.
 Success results in happy relationships and a sense of commitment, safety, and care within a
relationship. Otherwise, if we avoid intimacy, fear commitment and relationships, this will lead to
isolation, loneliness, and sometimes depression.
 This stage will lead to the virtue of love.
 Maladaptation – Promiscuity
 Being sexually needy and vulnerable
 Malignancy – Exclusivity
 Manifested as being a cold and self-contained loner

o Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65 years old) (Care)

 Generativity refers to “making your mark” on the world through creating or nurturing things that will
outlast an individual. We focus on our career and family.
 People experience a need to create or nurture things that will outlast them, often having mentees or
creating positive changes that will benefit other people
 We give back to society through raising our children, being productive at work, and becoming
involved in the community. These are considered important accomplishments at these stage.
However, by failing to find a way to contribute, we become stagnant and feel unproductive. We may
feel disconnected or uninvolved with the community and the society as a whole.
 Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of care.
 Maladaptation – Overextension
 The person becomes a do-gooder, busy-body, and a meddler (epal)
 Malignancy – Rejectivity
 A person becomes disinterested and cynical (“what’s in it for me” attitude)

o Stage 8: Ego Integrity vs. Despair (65 years old onwards) (Wisdom)
 We tend to slow down our productivity and explore life as a retired person.
 It is at this time that we contemplate our accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see
ourselves as successful in life. If we see our lives as unproductive, full of regrets, or we did not
accomplish our life goals, we become dissatisfied and develop despair, often leading to depression
and hopelessness.
 Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom enables a person to look back on their
life with a sense of closure and completeness, and also accept death without fear.
 Maladaptation – Presumption
 Exhibited as pompous, conceited, and arrogant
 Malignancy – Disdain
 A person feels miserable and unfulfilled and resorts to frequent blaming
 9th Stage: Joan Erikson’s addition to the Original 8 Stages
 Basic Mistrust vs. Trust – an elderly person mistrusts his own physical capabilities because his body
has inevitably weakened with age. There are things that he can perfectly do before that he cannot do
now because of his physical disposition.
 Shame and Doubt vs. Autonomy – the elderly experiences shame and doubt as he loses the ability of
control with himself; he loses his autonomy. There are some bodily functions now that he cannot
control which adds to the feeling of shame.
 Guilt vs. Initiative – an elderly sometimes feel guilt and inadequacy on unfulfilled ideas and tasks. His
sense of purpose and enthusiasm is dulled. Guilt is felt when an elder is too bent in carrying out some
project that seems utterly satisfying and appealing.
 Inferiority vs Industry – their drive to do their normal activities and work had diminished, thus they feel
inferior with themselves. They now think they should slow down, but sometimes there are things that
they want to do by themselves but cannot because of their age.
 Identity Confusion vs Identity – as the elderly goes on with his life, he will realize that he cannot fulfill
his roles from back when he is younger. There will come a time where he cannot express his devotion
to a belief due to changes around him.
 Isolation vs Intimacy – isolation sets in for an elderly person when he realizes that he cannot give out
the same effort in showing his love and affection back when he was young. Making new relationships
is a challenge because an elderly’s circle may have shrunk or expanded. Either way, feelings of
awkwardness will hinder the growth of relationships because the elderly will always try to look for
people that is “not different” from him.
 Stagnation vs. Generativity – when the topic of work and family comes in, an elderly person might
think that he may or may not done enough. But sometimes, they think that he still needs to do
something for his family and work; to have an active participation in both aspects. But he will soon
discover that because of his physical limitations and loss of autonomy, he will feel useless and may
stagnate.
 Despair and Disgust vs Integrity – when an elder looks back on his past, sometimes he will feel
despair and disgust from missed opportunities. For him, time is too short to try out new things and to
try out alternative choices. Despair also sets in when he realizes his loss of capacities and
disintegration. This feeling is more aggravated if he evaluates his accomplishments or himself too
low.
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Jean Piaget was born in Neuchâtel (Switzerland) on August 9, 1896. He died in Geneva on September 16,
1980. He was the oldest child of Arthur Piaget, professor of medieval literature at the University, and of
Rebecca Jackson. At age 11, while he was a pupil at Neuchâtel Latin high school, he wrote a short notice on
an albino sparrow. This short paper is generally considered as the start of a brilliant scientific career made of
over sixty books and several hundred articles.

His interest for mollusks was developed during his late adolescence to the point that he became a well-
known malacologist by finishing school. He published many papers in the field that remained of interest for
him all along his life.

After high school graduation, he studied natural sciences at the University of Neuchâtel where he obtained a
Ph.D. During this period, he published two philosophical essays which he considered as "adolescence work"
but were important for the general orientation of his thinking.

After a semester spent at the University of Zürich where he developed an interest for psychoanalysis, he left
Switzerland for France. He spent one year working at the Ecole de la rue de la Grange-aux-Belles a boys'
institution created by Alfred Binet and then directed by De Simon who had developed with Binet a test for
the measurement of intelligence. There, he standardized Burt's test of intelligence and did his first
experimental studies of the growing mind.

In 1921, he became director of studies at the J.-J. Rousseau Institute in Geneva at the request of Sir Ed.
Claparède and P. Bovet.

In 1923, he and Valentine Châtenay were married. The couple had three children, Jacqueline, Lucienne and
Laurent whose intellectual development from infancy to language was studied by Piaget.

Successively or simultaneously, Piaget occupied several chairs: psychology, sociology and history of
science at Neuchâtel from 1925 to 1929; history of scientific thinking at Geneva from 1929 to 1939; the
International Bureau of Education from 1929 to 1967; psychology and sociology at Lausanne from 1938 to
1951; sociology at Geneva from 1939 to 1952, then genetic and experimental psychology from 1940 to
1971. He was, reportedly, the only Swiss to be invited at the Sorbonne from 1952 to 1963.

In 1955, he created and directed until his death the International Center for Genetic Epistemology.

His researches in developmental psychology and genetic epistemology had one unique goal: how does
knowledge grow? His answer is that the growth of knowledge is a progressive construction of logically
embedded structures superseding one another by a process of inclusion of lower less powerful logical
means into higher and more powerful ones up to adulthood. Therefore, children's logic and modes of
thinking are initially entirely different from those of adults.

Piaget's oeuvre is witnessed in the annual catalogues of the Jean Piaget Archives. He was awarded
numerous prizes and honorary degrees all over the world.known all over the world and is still an inspiration
in fields like psychology, sociology, education, epistemology, economics and law as witnessed in the annual
catalogues of the Jean Piaget Archives. He was awarded numerous prizes and honorary degrees all over
the world.

Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development
of human intelligence. It was first created by the Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–
1980). The theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans gradually come to acquire,
construct, and use it.[1] Piaget's theory is mainly known as a developmental stage theory.
To Piaget, cognitive development was a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from
biological maturation and environmental experience. He believed that children construct an understanding of
the world around them, experience discrepancies between what they already know and what they discover
in their environment, then adjust their ideas accordingly.[2] Moreover, Piaget claimed that cognitive
development is at the center of the human organism, and language is contingent on knowledge and
understanding acquired through cognitive development.[3] Piaget's earlier work received the greatest
attention.
Child-centered classrooms and "open education" are direct applications of Piaget's views.[4] Despite its huge
success, Piaget's theory has some limitations that Piaget recognized himself: for example, the theory
supports sharp stages rather than continuous development (horizontal and vertical décalage).[5]