Erik Erikson is one of the most contributional people in the branch of psychology. His work focused on the society and culture’s effect on psychological development as well as developing the eight-stage model of human development. He helped determine the initiative stage, seen in preschool, also known as the excursion of independence. His work contributes to determining what formed personality by matching up stages of one’s adolescent life. His work influenced more than dozens of psychologists after him using his well theorized work (“Erik Erikson” 2018).
Erik Salomonsen who is famously known as Erik Erikson, was born on June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Erikson’s pediatrician, as he never knew his biological father. Erikson struggled with his identity growing up as he felt that his stepfather did not accept him as he did his own daughters. This was such an ongoing struggle for him that he later stated, “In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.” Whilst in school, he studied art and a multitude of languages instead of taking chemistry and biology. Erikson, after graduating high school, was interested in becoming an artist. He traveled through Europe and slept under bridges as shelter. After that year,
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Erikson termed this time period as identity vs. role confusion. This stage is when adolescents figure out who they are and what they want to be. This may center around sexuality, religion, friendships, political beliefs, and occupation goals for the future. This is the stage where teenagers go out of their comfort zones in an attempt to define themselves in society. If teenagers are unable to solidify their identities, they may develop role confusion, which occurs as a result of outside pressures telling teenagers what is appropriate for them (“Erik Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development”