Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development and Erickson’s Psycho-Social Stage of Development (Essay Sample)

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development and Erickson’s Psycho-Social Stage of Development
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Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development and Erickson’s Psycho-Social Stage of Development
Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stage of development and Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages of development typically recognize the importance of the unconscious mind in the personality development of every person. Even though Erikson and Sigmund believe that emotional distress, which can lead to mental illness occurs, when the conflict is not resolved appropriately thus leading to mental illness, the two theorists differ significantly in their explanations of psycho-social and psychosexual stages of development.
First, the third stage of Freud's psychosexual development is called the phallic stage. Freud asserts that the libido's energy in this stage is often focused on the genitals. This enables children to understand their anatomical sex difference, thus making girls and boys experience the Electra complex and Oedipus complex, respectively (Cohen-Kettenis, 2010). Unlike Freud’s third stage of psychosexual development, Erikson’s third stage of psychosocial development is called the initiative versus guilt stage. Erikson asserts that children at this stage start to take more control over their environment by developing their interpersonal skills and interacting with others. They can develop a sense of purpose or feelings of guilt depending on various factors, including how they interact with the environment (Cohen-Kettenis, 2010).
Lastly, Freud believes that people’s identity is always developed during adolescence while Erikson believes that individuals’ identity develops and evolves throughout their life. Unlike Freud who asserts that maturation plays a critical role in human life, Erikson places more focus on the impacts of cultural demands on children,