Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory Many psychologists and psychoanalysts have had an impact on the way human growth and development is viewed today. These psychologists and psychoanalysts have developed theories that are used daily in the world of health. How healthcare professionals view growth and development greatly affects patient outcomes. Understanding the theories of Freud, Kohlberg, Piaget and Erikson is extremely important for nurses. Erik Erikson developed one of the theories that nurses readily use today. Erik Erickson was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 1902. He moved to the United States in 1927. In 1936, Erickson joined the Institute of Human Relations, part of the University of Yale. (“Erikson Institute,” 2014) Erikson was an ego psychologist. (McLeod, 2008) Erikson's theory involves an individual establishing a sense of trust and identity within their society and helping to shape future generations. He believed that the role of society and culture helped shape personality. Erikson asserted that there is plenty of room for growth and development throughout life. (McLeod, 2008) Erikson developed the theory of psychosocial development. Erik Erikson used Freud's order of lifespan development. The predetermined order of life stages is called the epigenic principle. (McLeod, 2008) Erikson’s theory has eight steps. (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2012-2014) Erikson believed that individuals must complete and master a task at one stage before they can move on to another stage. (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2012-2014) Staged task mastery is important because there will be future times when mastered tasks will be put to the test and ch...... middle of paper ...... lies. The eight stages of his theory each play an important role for both the caregiver and the patient. The stage of industry and inferiority is particularly important to understand. Maintaining a child's sense of self-worth and allowing them to triumph personally can help the child make the transition to hospitalization. This stage must be mastered before the individual can move on to the next stage of identity and role confusion.ReferencesEric Erikson. (2014). Retrieved from www.erikson.edu/about/history/erik-erikson/McLeod, S. (2008). Simply psychology: Erik Erikson. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/erik-erikson.htmlPotter, Perry, Stockert, and Hall (Eds.). (2012-2014). Theories of development. Fundamentals of Nursing: 8th edition (8th ed. (p. 133). http://dx.doi.org/Sharkey, W. (1997). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from www.muskingum.edu/~psch/psycwen/ history/erikson.com