Self-Esteem Throughout the Human Lifespan

Week Five

Agenda

• Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development

• Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development

• John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment

Erik Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development

Basic Conflict Age Goal or Achievement

Symptoms

Basic Trust vs.Mistrust

0-1 Hope Dependency or Paranoia

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

2-3 Will Obsessive/Impulsive or Avoidant

Initiative vs.Guilt

4-5 Purpose Constricted or Antisocial/Narcissistic

Industry vs. Inferiority 6-12 Competency Helplessness or Shallowness

Identity vs.Role Confusion

13-19 Fidelity Identity Diffusion or Fanaticism

Intimacy vs. Isolation 20-24 Love Promiscuity or Exclusion

Generativity vs. Stagnation

25-64 Care Stagnation or Overextension

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

65+ Wisdom Presumption or Disdain

Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development

Basic Conflict Age Goal or Achievement Symptoms

Oral Stage Weaning

0-1 Trust & Comfort Dependency & Aggression

Anal Stage Control Bodily Needs

1-3 Sense of accomplishment & independence

Anal-expulsive vs Anal-retentive

Phallic StageGenitals

3-6 Identify with same-sex parent

Inferiority

Latency StageEgo & Superego

6-12 Intellectual pursuits & social interactions

Social and communication skills and self-confidence

Genital StageSexual Interest

13+ Interest in the welfare of others

Should now be well-balanced, warm, and caring

John Bowlby’sTheory of Attachment• Primarily the seeking of proximity to an attachment

figure in stressful situations. • Infants become attached to adults who are sensitive

and responsive in social interactions with them• Children use attachment figures (familiar people) as a

secure base to explore from and return to. • Parental responses lead to the development of

patterns of attachment; these, in turn, lead to internal working models which will guide the individual's feelings, thoughts and expectations in later relationships.

• Separation anxiety or grief following the loss of an attachment figure is considered to be a normal and adaptive response for an attached infant

Self-Esteem in Infancy (birth to 1 year)

• Erikson: – Parents provide reliability, care, and

affection. – A lack of this will lead to mistrust

• Freud: – Infant develops a sense of trust and

comfort through feeding.– Deficit= Issues with dependency or

aggression

Self-Esteem in Infancy (birth to 1 year)• Branden:

– Basic safety & security… satisfaction of physical needs, protection from the elements, & basic caretaking

– Nurturing through touch, which conveys love, caring, comfort, support, nurturing

Self-Esteem in Toddlerhood(Ages 1 through 3)

• Erikson: – Personal control over physical skills and a

sense of independence.

– Success leads to feelings of autonomy

– Failure results in feelings of shame and doubt

• Freud: – Sense of accomplishment and independence;

competent, productive, and creative adults

– Deficit= Messy, wasteful, or destructive personality.

– Deficit= Stringent, orderly, rigid, and obsessive

Self-Esteem in Toddlerhood(Ages 1 through 3)

• Bowlby:– Healthy attachments enable the child to

handle new types of social interactions

– Continues to develop through adulthood, helping cope with friendships, marriage and parenthood, all of which involve different behaviors and feelings

• Branden:– Acceptance of a child’s thoughts and

feelings allows them to learn self-acceptance

– Psychological Visibility is responding to and interacting with a child in a congruent way… acknowledges the shared reality and existence of the child

Self-Esteem in Pre-School(Ages 3 through 6)

• Erikson: – Asserting control and power over the

environment. – Success in this stage leads to a sense of

purpose. – Children who try to exert too much power

experience disapproval, resulting in a sense of guilt

• Freud: – Children discover the differences between

males and females– Deficit= Inferiority complex

Self-Esteem in Pre-School(Ages 3 through 6)

• Branden:– A child who is treated with love will

internalize this and experience him/herself as lovable

– An effective parent can convey anger or disappointment without signaling withdrawal of love

– Age-appropriate nurturing requires parents to match their teaching and encouragement to the developmental needs of their child at each stage

Self-Esteem in Pre-Adolescence(Ages 6 through 12)

• Erikson: – Cope with new social and academic demands.

– Success leads to a sense of competence

– Failure results in feelings of inferiority

• Freud: – Concerned with peer relationships, hobbies,

and other interests; intellectual pursuits and social interactions.

– This stage is important in the development of social and communication skills and self-confidence

Self-Esteem in Pre-Adolescence(Ages 6 through 12)

• Branden:– A concern with morality or ethics arises

naturally in the early stages of our development, much as our other intellectual abilities develop, and progresses in step with the normal course of our maturation.

– Praise and criticism… • “evaluative praise” is judgmental and discourages

internal evaluation• “appreciative praise” is factual and descriptive, and

leaves the child to do the evaluating

– Respect in the forms of dignity and courtesy

Self-Esteem in Adolescence(Ages 13 through 19)

• Erikson: – Develop a sense of self and personal identity. – Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself– Failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of

self

• Freud: – Interest in the welfare of others grows during this

stage. – If the other stages have been completed

successfully, the individual should now be well-balanced, warm, and caring.

Self-Esteem in Young Adulthood(Ages 20 through 24)

• Erikson: – Form intimate, loving relationships with

other people. – Success leads to strong relationships– Failure results in loneliness and isolation

Self-Esteem in Middle Adulthood(Ages 25 through 65)

• Erikson: – To create or nurture things that will outlast

them, often by having children or creating a positive change that benefits other people.

– Success leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment

– Failure results in shallow involvement in the world

Self-Esteem into Maturity(Age 65 and beyond)

• Erikson: – Look back on life and feel a sense of

fulfillment. – Success at this stage leads to

feelings of wisdom– Failure results in regret, bitterness,

and despair