Pyschosocial Development Across Life Span

Running head: PYSCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
PYSCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LIFE SPAN
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Introduction
It is very important to develop human knowledge over the years, in the field of nursing. A
proper understanding of psychology and its development is required in order to align theories
with reality. The developmental psychology is an approach that is scientific in nature and
explains change, growth and consistency throughout its span of life (Mortimer, 2019). It aims in
understanding and determining how changes in attitudes, behaviour and feelings take place in a
human life (McCall, 2017). The basic aim of the study is to understand development of
psychology by the application of some developmental theories. The two developmental theorists
selected for the study are Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson. The paragraph below deals with the
theorists and their theories.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud is an Austrian neurologist and is the founding father of the famous
concept called as Psychoanalysis. His methods can help in the treatment of psychological
conditions through mere conversation between patients and relatives. Freud is considered to be
as an important public figure and influential thinker (Jones, 2019). He analysed that the human
mind is composed of three different elements called as the id, ego and superego. He tried to
understand the impact of unconscious minds on the attitudes and behaviours of human being. He
developed the theories of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic, which is explained in the below
paragraph.
His theory states the method for treating mental illness and tries to understand and
explain human behaviours in simple terms. His theory was stated as a theory of psyche, which is
a therapy, and an optic for interpreting society and culture. Freud states that any event in the

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childhood directly influences the adulthood. Events in the childhood actually shape human
personality and attitudes as an adult. Any people having a traumatic experience in the childhood
are going to experience a certain degree of negativity in the adulthood (Freud, 2017). Personality
in human being develops according to the different sages he goes through, which is also
characterized by internal conflict of psychology.
There are several strengths and weakness attached with Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis.
His theory highlights in details about the three major personality systems, the collaboration of
which will lead to personality development and better understanding of behaviour. His theory
also considered the concept of the unconscious mind. His theory has also served as a baseline for
the preparation of many other theories. However his theories lack the basic scientific
justification. His theory has also been negatively regarded as misogynistic because of its
presumption that are anti-feminist.
Erik Erikson
Erikson is a German developmental psychologist who is famous for his psychological
theories on psychological development of human beings. He is greatly known because of
introducing the term “identity crisis”. As per Erikson there is a conflict between the
psychological needs and the social needs of a human being. The theory that he developed
consists of eight developmental stages that starts from the infancy and ends in adulthood
(Knight, 2017). He was closely associated with various eminent universities like Harvard
University, Yale and California University, in spite of not having a bachelor’s degree.
Erik emphasized on the different stages of the psychological development. The different
stages are as follows –