Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson are two theorists who “believed that the main determinants of personality are not conscious… [and] are the result of conflicts throughout the different stages of the development” (Cloninger 2013). Both theorists described different stages that a person goes through during their development. Erikson's stages of psychosocial development were greatly influenced by Freud's stages of psychosexual development. “Erikson's theory builds on Freud's, assuming that biology provides personality motivation through the psychosexual stages described by Freud. However, biological sexual energy is not the only consideration. (Cloninger 2013). Rather than focusing on a person's libido, also known as the person's sexual and psychic energy, as the driving force of personality, Erikson described how social influences could have an effect on personality of a person. Freud believed that a person's personality is most influenced by the first three stages of psychosexual development: oral, anal and phallic. A person's development through these three stages occurs between the first five years of their life. After which, it goes through a latency phase before entering the final phase, also known as the genital phase, which takes place between puberty and adulthood. Erikson agrees with Freud on his theory of infantile sexuality, but disagrees that a person's personality is based solely on this aspect. All of Erikson's stages are present at birth, in latent form, and are gradually revealed depending on their social environment. According to Manning (1988), “the confusion between identity and role is the most crucial stage in the developmental process. The adults and peers with whom the person surrounds themselves ultimately determine whether or not...... middle of paper ......ment of the person's identity. If a person is unable to overcome a crisis at a certain stage, they may become stuck at that stage and experience what is called an identity crisis. Although they may focus on different personality structures, they both agree that a person must overcome a certain obstacle during a stage in order to "move on" or develop further. I have to agree with Erikson's theory of development. Although he integrated many of Freud's theories into his own, he further developed Freud's theories. I believe that development does not stop at age five but develops throughout a person's life and is influenced by their experiences and other extrinsic factors. I think we are constantly faced with different obstacles, and our ego strength from past experiences helps us overcome these obstacles..