Erik Erikson Essay

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Erik Erikson Date of Birth: June 15, 1902 Date of Death: May 12, 1994 What is this Psychologist known for: Erik Erikson is most famous for his work in refining and expanding Freud's theory of stages. Erikson improved Freud’s five stage development theory to eight stages. Erikson elaborated Freud's genital stage into adolescence plus three stages of adulthood. Also, he is known for his time spent studying the cultural life of the Sioux of South Dakota and the Yurok of northern California. He utilized the knowledge he gained of cultural, environmental, and social influences to further develop his psychoanalytic theory. Professional Life / Education: Upon graduating high school, Erik focused on becoming an artist. When not attending art classes, he traveled around Europe, visiting museums and sleeping under bridges. When he was 25, his friend Peter Blos, suggested he apply for a teaching position at an experimental school for American students run by Dorothy Burlingham, a friend of Anna Freud. Besides teaching art, he gathered a certificate in Montessori education and one from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. He was psychoanalyzed by Anna Freud herself. While there, he met Joan Serson, a Canadian dance teacher at the school, they married and went on to have three children. Erikson moved to the United States in 1933 and was offered a teaching position at Harvard Medical School. In addition to his position at Harvard, he also had a private practice in child psychoanalysis. Also he had teaching positions at the University of California at Berkeley, Yale, the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, Austen Riggs Center, and the Center for Advanced Studies of the Behavioral Sciences. Contributions to Psychology: Freud’s theory had focused on the psychosexual aspects of development, Erikson’s addition of other influences helped to broaden and expand psychoanalytic
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