Identity and the Life Cycle

by Erik H. Erikson

Erik H. Erikson's remarkable insights into the relationship of life history and history began with observations on a central stage of life: identity development in adolescence. This book collects three early papers that—along with Childhood and Society—many consider the best introduction to Erikson's theories."Ego Development and Historical Change" is a selection of extensive notes in which Erikson first undertook to relate to each other observations on groups studied on field trips and on children studied longitudinally and clinically. These notes are representative of the source material used for Childhood and Society."Growth and Crises of the Health Personality" takes Erikson beyond adolescence, into the critical stages of the whole life cycle.In the third and last essay, Erikson deals with "The Problem of Ego Identity" successively from biographical, clinical, and social points of view—all dimensions later pursued separately in his work.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, Science, Parenting, Sociology

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Erik Erikson was a German-born American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings. He may be most famous for coining the phrase identity crisis. His son, Kai T. Erikson, is a noted American sociologist.

Although Erikson lacked even a bachelor's degree, he served as a professor at prominent institutions such as Harvard and Yale.

Reviews

[Maira · Rating 2 out of 5]

i thought this book would never end.

[Hyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. It's one that works best when read during college, so that you can understand what is happening to you in the midst of what EE calls the "identity crisis." But the book even has a healing effect when read forty years late.

[Vanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leicht zu lesendes Buch über Eriksons Theorie der Identitätsentwicklung.

[Arkadiy Volkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Фройд с человеческим лицом. Надо еще его почитать.

[Tarannom · Rating 5 out of 5]

دبدگاه روانی _ اجتماعی اریکسون نسیت به تحول انسان ، از جهاتی با دیدگاه روانی _ جنسی فروید. همسو است ولی از جهاتی دیگر متفاوت ، اریکسون انسان را منفعل صرف نمی داند و او را صاحب اراده و اختیار می داند که طی مراحل تحول دو بعد متناقض را سپری می کند. دو بعد مثبت و منفی ، با غلبه هر کدام از این دوبعد انسان. یا با روانی سالم و یا غیر سالم وارد مرحله بعدی از تحولش می شود ، جالب است بدانیم کودک تا یکسالگی اگر عاطفه و لبخند و توجه. متعادل را دریافت نکند. به تمام جهان بی اعتماد می شود و دچار بدخیمی و اسکیزو فرنی می گردد و اختلال پارانویید در او شکل می گیرد و اگر. میزان عاطفه و توجه بیش از حد تعادل باشد کودک دچار بدرشدی می شود که زمینه ساز احتلال های روان نژندی در بزرگسالی است ، اریکسون جوانی را با عدم مسئولیت پذیری. یکسان می داند و با پذیرش مسئولیت. جوانی را پایان یافته می داند. ،حال چه این مسئولیت. در اجتماع باشد و چه. به صورت تشکیل خانواده . اریکسون دوره جوانی را تا چهل سالگی در نظر گرفته و از چهل سالگی تا شصت و پنج سالگی دوران میانسالی است که فرد دچار بحران میانسالی می شود. پذیرش مسئولیت های متعدد که خواسته و ناخواسته به وی تحمیل شده. از قبیل والد فرزند ،فرزند والد ،همسر بودن و شغل و ...... فرد را دچار سردرگمی وحشتناکی می کند.و دوران پیری که به گفته اریکسون بسته به نوع تفکر میتواند زیبا سپری شود و یا توام با زجر و احساس پوچی باشد البته درتمام این مراحل نقش. افراد و جامعه انسانی بسیار پر رنگ است و کودک در یکسالگی. با اتکا به مادر یا جانشین مادری میتواند. شخصیت مستقلی بسازد و یا برعکس شخصیت تخریب شده ای در تمام عمر اورا تعفیب کتد ، فروید نقش نهاد رو پررنگ می داند و اریکسون به خود توجه دارد. ،اراده انسان را نادیده می گیرد و لیبیدو را تعیین کننده رفتار انسان می داند ،جالب است بدانیم. در ایران. فقط و فقط. نظريه هاي روان شناسي مختلف بدون چون و چرا و تحقیق پذیرفته شدن و در تحقیقات علمی روش قیاسی. مورد استفاده قرار می گیرد که طبعا نمی تواند تولید علم نماید فقط و فقط. نظريه ها را تاييد مي کند ..

[Herrholz Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, Identity is a cornerstone of psychology. We often hear the terms looking for oneself, or finding oneself. People take time out or go on sabbatical to fine themselves, ideas which are often associated with the hippi movement in western culture. Taking a more clinical, in depth look at identity as Erikson does here reveals the complexity and significance of what we are concerned with.
As our psyches develop from infancy into adulthood, we are constantly being influenced by our fellow members of society and our malleable personalities are nudged and pulled accordingly, perhaps into pleasing harmonious forms and sometimes in to forms of a more distorted nature. We may be told along the way that the former is more desirable.
Compared to the preceding book on psychology which I read, (TA Today), Identity and the Life Cycle has a looser, more philosophical feel to it which I prefer in many ways. It is the looser, harder to pin down aspects of psychology which I find particularly interesting. We still have a lot to learn I think.
So for me this book was well worth the time and effort. My mind just got bigger! I will be reading more of Erikson.

[Howard Blumenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is classic developmental psychology. Erik Erikson, along with Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, is considered to be pre-eminent figures in the field of early childhood development, but Erikson explores identity development across a broad spectrum, going all the way from infancy to late adulthood. While his theories are certainly patriarchial and mainly appeal to the upper class at the time, they provide an excellent starting point for modern interpretations of identity development. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in developmental psychology and early childhood development.

[Lily Ciocca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This analysis of identity written in 1994 is still very applicable to the world today. He takes Freud’s psychosexual theory, rooted in biology, and ties it to American social norms. This book will allow you to understand the components that build a child’s identity and how psychological illness derives from a weak formation of one’s identity.

[Pradnya · Rating 3 out of 5]

In-depth look at identity development.

[em.ilia]

it was a struggle.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read, if at times technical, and a good introduction to Erikson. This book provides an accessible overview of his theory of psychosocial development first proposed in Childhood and Society, without getting into much detail or illustration for the stages. Afterwards it explores in detail the stage of Ego Identity vs. Role Confusion, marked by Erikson's concept of the (now common term) Identity Crisis. Erikson illustrates this stage in great detail.

This book is notable for its detailed exploration of that one stage, which by extension applies to the rest of his proposed stages. For a more detailed work on the theory as a whole, read Childhood in Society.

[Liam · Rating 2 out of 5]

"In general, the concept of the ego was first delineated by previous definitions of its better-known opposites, the biological id and the sociological 'masses': the ego, the individual center of organized experience and reasonable planning, stood endangered by both the anarchy of the primeval instincts and the lawlessness of the group spirit." (18-9)

"Freud was once asked what he thought a normal person should be able to do well. The questioner probably expected a complicated, a 'deep' answer. But Freud simply said, 'Lieben and arbeiten' ('to love and to work')." (102)

[Karen Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this difficult to read but worth it. The writing was dense and I had to go back and re-read sections to understand them, and even get out the dictionary. All, those psychological terms! There was also an assumption that the reader was familiar with the theories of Freud and Jung and other lesser known psychological figures. That made it harder to follow, but the book is based on papers read to collegaues, not necessarily for the general reading public. Valuable insights and theories. Several times I felt as though I was meeting people I know!

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

the classic text on the eight stages of man, which I use every week in the teaching of residents

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erickson is gifted. I'm writing this review 11 years after reading it. I'm just looking at a note I put in the book after I read it.
So my reviews are a bit 'stale'...

[Barbie]

Seminal psychological theory.