grew up in Europe and spent his young adult life under the direction of Freud. In 1933

when Hitler rose to power in Germany, Erikson emigrated to the United States and

began teaching at Harvard University. His clinical work and studies were based on

children, college students, victims of combat fatigue during World War two, civil

rights workers, and American Indians. It was these studies which led Erikson to

believe that Freud misjudged some important dimensions of human development.

Throughout this essay, Erikson's psychosocial model will be explored,

discussed and evaluated interms of it's concepts, theories and assumptions. The

theoretical underpinning will be discussed with reference to the nature versus nurture

debate and also the continuity versus discontinuity argument. It will then be shown

how Erikson has influenced the way psychologists view the importance of identity

during adolescents. Firstly, however, Erikson's work will be put alongside that of

Freud's to establish an understanding of the basis from which it came.

Erikson's psychosocial model was heavily influenced by Freud, and shares a

that must be confronted. The term epigenetic principle was used by Erikson to describe

body image or sense of physical self. Also during this period a pattern of sexual

religious belief), may be stable while another area of life decision (e.g. sexuality), is in

away as to suggest continuity. Erikson also stresses the importance of environmental

Erikson the nature of society will reflect in the psychological problems

model in more detail in order to understand the following evaluation.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Presumably Erikson, James Marcia, Erikson Erikson, According Erikson, Cowie Smith, Sigelman Shaffer, American Indians, Siglemann Shaffer, Firstly Erikson's, Sileman Shaffer, stevens 1983, life cycle, psychosocial model, human development, erikson's psychosocial model, erikson's psychosocial, stage development, according erikson, smith 1996, erikson believes, cowie smith, cowie smith 1996, model consists eight,
Approximate Word count = 1893
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)