FREE ESSAY ON A COMPARISON OF PIAGET, FREUD, AND ERIKSON

A COMPARISON OF PIAGET, FREUD, AND ERIKSON

A Comparison of Piaget, Freud, and Erikson
by
Randy Hartenstine
Psychology 1513-51
Extra Credit Paper
April 8, 1999
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The field of psychology has grown to be respected as a science. Objectivity and the
scientific method are both part of the psychologist's mode of operation. However, even
the greatest of psychologists can only theorize about what makes human beings act the way
they do. Absolutes are not part of psychology. Everything is relative and open to
speculation. Theorists give us their views or ideas about life. In the field of
psychology, there have been many different areas of interest. Human development is one of
the most popular areas of interest for those who study psychology. Freud, Erikson, and
Piaget are all great theorists with different ideas concerning human development. Each
theorist developed ideas and stages for human development. Their theories on human
development had human beings passing through different stages. Each theory differed on
what these stages were. These theories also differed with their respect towards
paradigmatic assumptions, learning and development, and relationship towards educational
practice.
Freud is known as the father of psychology. Although some of his work has been dismissed,
most of it still holds weight in the world of psychology today. Freud believed that inner
forces fueled human development. He believed the most powerful of all inner forces was
our sexual being. Freud linked everything with sex. This includes any bodily pleasure
whatsoever. Thus, when Freud discusses the sexual needs of children, they are not the 
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same kind of sexual needs that an adult would experience. Children experienced sexual
gratification in different ways. Sucking their thumbs or retaining their excrement could
be seen as sexual gratification for small children. Freud also specified certain areas of
our body as erogenous zones. Those areas included the mouth and genitals. This all fit in
to Freud's obsession with sex. An obsession that could be linked to the era that Freud
lived in. It was a very conservative period in history. Sexual feelings were often
repressed. Freud's theory on human development could be labeled the psychosexual stages
of development. Freud believed human beings passed through different stages in their life
based on which part of their body gratified them. Freud's psychosexual stages of
development are five in total. The Oral stage takes place from birth to about one year.
During this stage, a child is orally oriented. The mouth is the child's erogenous zone.
Everything a child touches is put in his mouth. Freud believes children do this because
it gives them pleasure. When a child sucks his thumb, it does so because it gratifies
them. According to Freud, the gratification is sexual. The second stage in Freud's
psychosexual development theory takes place between the ages of two and three years of
age. The erogenous zone shifts location, thus moving from one stage to another. The
second erogenous zone in Freud's stages of human development is the anal region. Freud
believes children
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experience sexual gratification during bowel movements and when they withhold bowel
movements. Some children may even experience pleasure handling, looking at, or thinking
about their own feces. Once the Anal stage of development has been completed, the next
stage of development for Freud is the Phallic Stage. This usually occurs at about three
years of age. The shift in erogenous zones moves from the anal region to the genital
organs. This stage is also known as the Oedipal Stage of psychosexual development. This
name comes from the legendary king, Oedipus, who killed his father and married his
mother. During this stage, children take interest in their sexual organs. Soon they
notice differences and similarities between themselves and their parents. Each sex wants
to be with the parent of the other sex, for girls this is referred to as the
elektra complex. Once the children realize they can not be with their mother or father,
they identify with the parent of the same sex. The next stage is called the stage of
Latency. A lack of change or absence of erogenous zones characterizes this stage. After
the realization that the child can not be with a parent sexually, the child shifts its
attention to same-sexed relationships. Boys will shift their sexual urges and drives to
something acceptable, such as sports. This is a time of relative calm. The last stage of
Freud's psychosexual development is the Genital Stage. The erogenous zone returns in a
very powerful
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way in the genital organs. This stage takes place from puberty into adulthood. True
sexual desire and sexual relationships mark this stage. 
Erikson took Freud's ideas and enhanced them. He added stages for the adult years. He
also shifted his attention to identity rather than sexuality. Erikson developed the
psychosocial stages of development. He is known for his eight stages of life. Erikson's
first stage is during infancy. It deals with trust versus mistrust. The child develops an
outlook on life and whether the world can be trusted or not. The child develops trust if
the parents give the child something it can rely on. According to Erikson, the child
develops a sense of optimism or pessimism during this stage. The next stage in Erikson's
psychosocial development is during early childhood and is known as autonomy versus shame
and doubt. The child becomes autonomous and realizes he can say yes or no. This stage
will determine whether a child develops a sense of self-certainty. Erikson's next stage
takes place during the ages of three to six years. This stage is marked by initiative
versus guilt. This stage is important in developing the child's sense of enterprise. The
child develops initiative when trying out new things and is not scared of failing. The
fourth stage of Erikson's developmental theory takes place at about six years of age and
lasts till puberty. This stage deals with industry 
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versus inferiority. The child learns skills of the culture and must deal with feelings of
inferiority. Adolescence brings about the next stage for Erikson. This stage is known for
identity versus identity confusion. During this stage, Erikson believes adolescents must
develop a sense of self-awareness or knowing who they are. They develop a sense of
identity. The sixth stage for Erikson is known for intimacy versus isolation.
This stage takes place during young adulthood. The person seeks commitments from others.
If he is unsuccessful, he may take on isolation. Erikson believes this stage is important
in learning love. The seventh stage for Erikson takes place during adulthood. It is
marked by generativity versus stagnation. During this stage, the adult is concerned with
guiding the next generation. This stage according to Erikson gives the adult a sense of
caring. Erikson's last and eighth stage takes place at a mature age. Old age is marked by
integrity versus despair. During this time, the people may achieve a sense of acceptance
of their own life, which in turn allows for the acceptance of death. When one passes
through this last stage, Erikson believes that a person has achieved wisdom. 
Piaget also believed in developmental theory. Her stages were cognitive stages. These
stages were based on what the child can do. According to Piaget, a child passes through
four stages in its life. Piaget was interested in the child's 
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abilities and senses, not sexual desires like Freud was. Piaget believes the first stage
of development should be a cognitive one. Her first stage is known as the sensorimotor
stage. It takes place from birth to about two years of age. During this time, a child
learns motor meaning, object permanence, and the th beginning of symbolic representation,
also known as language. The child will change from someone who responds only through
reflexes to one who can organize his activities in relation to his environment. It does
this through sensory and motor activity. The next stage in Piaget's cognitive development
theory is the pre-operational stage. This takes place from about two to seven years of
age. During this stage, the child's language develops. They develop a representational
system and use symbols such as words to represent people, places, and events. From about
seven to thirteen years of age, Piaget believes children enter the concrete operational
stage. They can solve problems logically. They can understand rules and form concepts.
Some children become moralistic. The last stage Piaget believes is the formal operational
stage. This stage takes place from about twelve years of age through adulthood. Once
someone has reached this stage, one should be able to think abstractly, manipulate
abstract concepts, use hypothetical reasoning, and use creative language.
These three theories on human development each have their 
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own good and bad points. One problem all theories must deal with is paradigmatic
assumptions. These are ideas that the theorist has taken for granted as facts. An example
is Freud's notion that women suffer from a lack of self-esteem or self worth all their
lives because of penis envy.
Freud's assumption could have derived merely because of the time when he lived, and it
was a time when women were treated as second class citizens. Freud's assumption that sex
is the driving force behind everything could also be a product of his times. Sexual
feelings were often repressed. The problem with paradigmatic assumptions is that each
person grows up in a different culture and some theories don't apply to everyone.
The problem with psychology remains that it is not an exact science. It is difficult to
develop good paradigmatic assumptions because of that. Erikson assumes a child must learn
these virtues or skills in this order. But, what if a child does not? Someone may never
have a meaningful relationship, but they may develop wisdom. This would undercut
Erikson's assumptions that everyone must pass through these stages in this order. Piaget
also has some assumptions in her theory. A person that never learns to add may be able to
think hypothetically. 
These mistakes only show that psychology still has its flaws. Each of these theories has
some value because they are 
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not totally wrong. These theories have withstood criticism and are some of the best. Each
theory is similar by time and their sequence of life events; where they differ is in
their focus. Freud focuses on sex, Erikson focuses on the self and social orientation,
and Piaget focuses on the child's abilities and senses. Each theory is also useful when
applied to its relationship to educational practices, and these different ideals guide
teachers in the mystical theories of forever trying to understand human development, the
mind, and its behaviors....
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Work Cited
Coon, Dennis. Introduction to Psychology: Exploration and
Application, 7th Edition. Minnesota: West Publishing
Company, 1995.
Freud, Sigmund. The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud. Brill, A.
A.: Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc., July 1979. 
Piaget, Jean, et al. The Psychology of The Child. Berkeley and
Los Angeles: University of California Press, Ltd., 1972.