The Adult Development Theory of Erikson - Essay Example

? Erikson’s Adult Development Theory Introduction Background: Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a psychoanalyst who elaborated upon Freud’s theory by including the environmental interaction aspect in it. A key concept important for this paper is ‘psychosocial health’ i.e. in the presence of disease psychological and social conditions are equally influential to determine the speed of recovery and to motivate the individual towards an improved self-care regime. Rationale: It takes an active lifestyle other then medications to encounter illnesses and maintain health. Hence, the healthcare system’s emphasis should also be on wellbeing and prevention instead of only diagnosis and prescriptions. Aim: The focus of this paper will be on developmental theory of adulthood and the remedial ways the last three stages can be inculcated into health practices. Psychosocial Development Freud’s psychodynamic theory focuses on unconscious mental forces; he has put utmost emphasis on childhood experiences. Freud proposed that development occurs through five psychosexual stages each having unconscious erotic focus. While Freud did not consider social interaction an important component in development, Erikson found the environmental triggers significant for human development. Erikson proposed eight psychosocial stages of development, which have been further classified into childhood, adolescence and adulthood (Dimatteo & Martin, 2007). Precisely, the stages are firstly trust versus mistrust, secondly autonomy versus shame/self-doubt, thirdly, initiative versus guilt, fourthly, industry versus inferiority, fifthly self identity versus identity diffusion, sixthly intimacy versus isolation, seventhly generativity versus stagnation and lastly, integrity versus despair. Stages 6, 7 and 8 form the adult development theory. Erikson believed that a healthy ego identity was compulsory to age with tranquility and satisfaction. Erikson attempted to explain the ego needs of people in a biological, psychological and cultural context. The initial works of Erikson which have been related to a healthcare system are his portrayals of the epigenetic of personality development. In the subsequent parts of this paper, adulthood development will be thoroughly explained followed by research about health care, ageing, and chronic illness, mental and physical health. Adult Development Stages The initial stage in Erikson’s adult development is Intimacy vs. Isolation. This occurs after a solid identity has been formed as par the last stage. Young adults blend their firm self-identity with the identity of others, forming concrete relationships and affiliations. An element of self-sacrifice is seen in this stage as deep friendships are formed and sexual experimentation begins. An isolated adult in this stage has minimal friendships and unromantic relationships. Health and lifestyle issues faced in this part of psychosocial development include accidents, occupational and family stress, sedentary routines, violence and other diseases. The healthy youth does not have very inflated ego rather the focus of a young adult should be ‘to love and to work’ as Erikson puts it. This stage is marked by sharing of opinions and life’s judgments with partners and friends. Middle Adulthood begins at Generativity vs. Stagnation according to Erikson. While a stagnant adult in middle age has feelings of emptiness and finds no purpose in life. Perhaps his ego identity did not develop in the previous stages. The stress of this stage is concern for others. Mature adults are in a dire need of direction and guidance; moreover, their primary need is to feel that they are needed in their circle (Dimatteo & Martin, 2007). Generativity is described as the ability to rise above self-interests, showing servitude to other generations. Parental, teaching and curative services hence represent a healthy and sensitive adult high on the generativist spectrum (Barkway, 2009). The old age part of adulthood falls under Integrity vs. Despair stage proposed by Erikson. According to him, the lifecycle is at the peak. Healthy aged people, who tend to be higher on the scale of integrity, have been cared for and they have cared for others, and now they can care for themselves. Mentally and physically, the old adults need ample exercise, stretching for flexibility of muscles, pure organic nutrition, help in dealing with chronic illnesses like cancer, timely medications, reminders, sensory stimulation for dementia or Alzheimer’s patients and other ailments (Weiten, 2004). Health care Erikson’s developmental stages have practical implications for individual and group health care. Each stage requires a mastery of certain tasks; understanding illness and coping with it are two significant tasks of adulthood. If someone was injured in their past, are handicapped due to some traumatic experience or have a perpetual disease, their ego identity will suffer. Proficiency in adult stages is essential in order to have a healthy identity and integrated personality both on a mental and physical level (Barkway, 2009). Also, times of sickness and ill-health determine the pressurizing demands that tend to squander relationships. The autonomous control acquired by the healthy infant can be ruined in old age is the demands are excessively stressful. Due to ill health, sexual relationships suffer and adults become role-confused yet again, losing their sense of self-control. Doctors, health practitioners and public health policy makers need to identify these gaps in the system and pave way for holistic health solutions, including the psychological and social component of health (Dimatteo & Martin, 2007). Inferences from Research ‘The Recovery Process Utilizing Erikson’s Stages of Human Development’, a paper on mental health rehabilitation, devised a link between recovery and psychosocial development. There seems to be a need for psycho-developmental principles which can be incorporated into the client-practitioner relationship. For recovery to be quick and long lasting, some principles have to be applied by the physician to evaluate his strategies and medication (Vogel-Scibilia et al, 2009). Health practitioners have to walk the extra mile with the client to make him feel empowered despite the presence of the disease and the social stigma. Social stigma can be defined as a social attitude that people foster for an individual who they think is not fully acceptable in the society due to physical or mental weakness. The clients can develop mistrust towards physicians or psychologists if medications are not adjusted as per their demands and bodily needs (Berry, 2004). A loss of autonomy in adulthood can make the ill people angry and powerless; in such cases, the patients get inquisitive about their recovery and the efficacy of the treatment plan. A treatment plan, for any disease has to be customized for each and every patient, identifying the developmental level he/she is at. The plan should be evaluated timely with the patient by discussing alternatives and minor changes. For instance, the patients undergoing chemotherapy are prescribed digestion-balancing medications to encounter the side effects. The patient should know why he is being prescribed such a medicine, its importance and the hope that side effects can be handled with positivity and will power as well (Vogel-Scibilia et al, 2009). In middle and old adulthood, if the unhealthy adults interact with the healthy survivors, the belief in recovery is deepened followed by a sense of self-control when pain is seen as something universal (Dimatteo and Martin, 2009).   In ‘Erikson's Healthy Personality, Societal Institutions, and Holocaust Survivors’, the experimenters carried out a systematic analysis of transcripts of interviews of survivors from the Nazi Holocaust. The self-assessments were also judged in the light of environmental influences to see the affect of Holocaust (Greene, Graham & Morano, 2010). The theoretical basics of interventions for commonly encountered diseases in adulthood should be applied in the context of treatment modalities, self-awareness, nursing care, therapeutic communication (Videbeck, 2011). Ageing is an emerging phenomenon in health care research. This concept is of utmost importance to integrative health practitioners and alternative medicine doctors. On a community level for public health welfare, active ageing means that older peoples’ life competencies are utilized to the fullest as an asset for community development. In order to cope with stresses and frustrations at the last stage of the lifecycle, intergenerational solidarity is required (Vogel-Scibilia et al, 2009). To shape health practices according to Erikson’s theory, it can be argued that hospitals and health institutes should have intergenerational platforms where the old adults come in contact with the young adults. On this very platform, an exchange between healthy and unhealthy personalities can be facilitated. It can also be implied that the entire health care systems should be transformed into democratic units, empowering the people to take charge of their health and contribute to the society as well. To enhance generativity and productivity across generations, health practices should be revolutionized and the definition of old age should be revisited. Old age is generally considered to come with a lot of problems and illnesses. If healthcare awareness and self-determination begins from young adulthood, the concept of ageing can have a promising definition. The programs should be such that foster acceptance into people and they look ahead into future to live their old age instead of passing it with sick care (Vogel-Scibilia et al, 2009). It can be argued that hospitals, health care units and local agencies should use the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage period to make adults realize that sick-care is different from health care. Healthcare involves absence of disease as mentioned in the definition given by World Health organization (Schmitt & Kruse, 2012). In-depth research has been carried out on the expression and management of depression across different stages from adolescence to adulthood. Erikson hypothesized that each human being had a blueprint of development. In his epigenetic of personality hypothesis, Erikson proposed that the adults who fail to take care of themselves physically face the results in old age when they suffer from bone and joints issues. Similarly, he also pointed out that failure in psychosocial development worsens old age scenario. Psychosocial health forms the backbone of therapy and treatment for any disease or illness. For example, in adulthood, women experiencing menopause are often found in depression. This is where the interplay of physical and psychosocial health portrays the picture of an unhealthy adult (Berry, 2004). Erikson’s adulthood theory can be very clearly related to preventive medicine and chronic illnesses especially at the last stage. Preventive medicine focuses on biological and psychological competencies of the individual to ward off diseases and maintain equilibrium. The theory lays the foundation of a conceptual base for constructing a system of health care which manages chronic illness along with family and community development cycle. The integrated old adult not only cares for himself but also cares for the community as a whole. A psychosocial typology is the need of the hour in the health care system. A developmental background will be marked by transitional periods, decision making periods and making commitments, periods less dictated by family group tasks and, periods of family centeredness (Greene, Graham and Morano, 2010). Intergenerational platforms should bring ideologies of chronic disease, crisis, and loss play together under an umbrella. Pertaining to Erikson’s work, an important aim of chronic disease management program should aim for the victim family to deal with the developmental demands presented by the sickness without the need for compromise on developmental goals. Over and above, it is crucial to ask the client about his/her life plans about the family or individual to aid in diagnosis and treatment (Rolland, 1987). Conclusion In a nutshell, Erikson’s adult development theory is highly applicable to the health care system especially for old aged people. For emerging adults in intimacy vs. isolation stage, the center of attention of the primary care physicians should be on establishing support groups, community awareness programs, self-help programs, family and group therapy as adults are trying to materialize relationships and intensifying their social circle. Middle adulthood is denoted by productivity, philanthropy, creativity and a concern for future generations. In this arena, Erikson’s theory has a limitation as he has presented a dichotomous description of development. It is possible that a man is active in giving charity (generative) but lacks the ideal parental skills (stagnant). On the other hand, he is undergoing radiotherapy for cancer. When working with chronically ill patients who have terminal illnesses, health professionals should give a sense of self-fulfillment to their patients. It is sometimes argued, that to maintain the patient’s integrity, he/she is not told about all the threatening symptoms of the disease (Barkway, 2009). Reference Barkway, P. (2009). Psychology for Health Care Professionals. Australia: Elsevier. Berry, D. (2004). ‘The Relationship between Depression and Emerging Adulthood’, Advances in Nursing Science 2 (1), pp. 53–69 Dimatteo, M.R. & Martin, L.R. (2009). Health Psychology. New Delhi: Pearson Education, Dorling Kindersley. Greene, R.R., Graham, S.A. & Morano, C. (2010). ‘Erikson's Healthy Personality, Societal Institutions, and Holocaust Survivors’. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 20 (4), Special Issue: Forgiveness, Resiliency, and Survivorship among Holocaust Survivors. Weiten, W. (2004). Human Development across the life span. Psychology: Themes and Variations, 6th (ed.), pp 456-461. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Rolland, J. (1987). ‘Chronic illness and the life cycle: A conceptual framework’, Fam. Proc. 26 (1), pp203–221. Schmitt, E & Kruse, A. (2012). ‘Generativity as a Route to Active Ageing’. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research, Retrieved online from . Videbeck, S.L. (2011). Psychiatric-mental Health Nursing. NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Vogel-Scibilia, S.E., McNulty, K.C., Baxter, B., Miller, S., Dine, M. & Frese III, F.J. (2009). ‘The Recovery Process Utilizing Erikson’s Stages of Human Development’, Community Mental Health Journal 45 (1), pg. 405–414. Read More