Identity Development

Overview

According to Freud, there are three components to the human psyche: id, ego, and superego. This is Freud’s theory of personality. He believed that these three components need to be in balance for an individual to be a healthy and whole person.

  • Id

    • The id exists at birth and is known as the libido.

    • It is centered on pleasure and rooted in the unconscious mind.

  • Ego

    • The ego develops at early childhood and focuses on reality.

    • It compromises with the id and superego and exists in the conscious and unconscious mind.

  • Superego

    • The superego starts to develop at age five and is the moral force.

    • It focuses on moral reasoning and the constraints society places on people.

    • It exists in the conscious and unconscious mind.

Additionally, Freud thought that personality was linked to psychosexual development. These stages concentrate on the accumulation of erogenous or sensual energy in specific bodily parts. Every stage is accompanied with conflict, and if that conflict is not addressed, the individual will develop a fixation at that specific stage. Freud’s psychosexual states of developments five stages.

  • Oral Stage

    • infancy

    • This focus is on the mouth and pleasure is obtained through oral stimulation.

    • If the need is not met or oral stimulation continues for an extended period of time, the individual will develop problems associated with oral fixations (smoking, biting fingernails, ect.).

  • Anal Stage

    • toddlerhood

    • The focus is on the anus and potty training is important for managing the bladder and bowels.

    • If the parent was overly lenient, the child may grow up to be wasteful or destructive.

    • If the parent was overly strict, the child may grow up to be inflexible or obsessive.

  • Phallic Stage

    • early childhood

    • The focus is on genitals.

    • Children start to understand that boys and girls are different

    • Boys experience the Oedipus Complex, meaning they have romantic feelings for their mother.

    • Girls experience the Electra Complex, meaning they have romantic feelings for their father.

  • Latency Stage

    • middle childhood

    • The ego and superego’s development results in a decrease in libido.

    • The focus is on building relationships and doing well in school.

    • Freud considered this to be an asexual time of development, meaning that sexuality is not present throughout this stage.

  • Genital Stage

    • adolescence

    • The focus is on the genitals.

    • Energy is directed on the genitalia again, but for reproduction.

    • Children start to identify with the parent of the same sex, which resolves Oedipus and Electra complexes.

    • Children go through puberty and form romantic relationships, which results in sexual maturity.

Erik Erikson developed his own theory, known as the Eight Ages of Man, based on Freud’s theory. Erikson gave greater attention to the social and cultural facets of development. Additionally, he examined the relationship between psychological development and social interactions at that time of life. Erikson wanted to create a theory that addressed the full person from birth to old age because he also believed that personality continued to develop past early childhood. According to Erikson, people go through crises at different stages of their lives, and in order to lead a balanced life, people must resolve these crises.

  • Stage 1 Basic Trust vs. Mistrust

    • infancy (birth-18 months)

    • relationships with parents

    • drive & hope or withdrawal

  • Stage 2 Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

    • toddler (18 months-3 years)

    • potty training

    • self-control & willpower or compulsion

  • Stage 3 Initiative vs. Guilt

    • early childhood (3-5 years)

    • exploring

    • purpose & direction or inhibition

  • Stage 4 Industry vs. Inferiority

    • middle childhood (6-12 years)

    • achievement

    • method & competence or inactivity

  • Stage 5 Identity vs. Role Confusion

    • adolescence (12-18 years)

    • development of identity

    • devotion & fidelity or abandonment

  • Stage 6 Intimacy vs. Isolation

    • young adulthood (18-35 years)

    • intimate relationship

    • love & affiliation or exclusivity

  • Stage 7 Generativity vs. Stagnation

    • middle adulthood (35-55/65 years)

    • giving back

    • care & production or overextension

  • Stage 8 Ego Integrity vs. Despair

    • older adulthood (55/65 years-death)

    • reflecting on one’s life

    • wisdom or fear of death

Relating Identity Development

The fifth stage of Kohlberg’s Eight Ages of Man has had a significant impact on my life. It has not been long since I was in that stage but it was a period of self-discovery and life purpose. The end of childhood coincides with the onset of puberty, and social relationships are crucial to one’s development of the self. Individuals are to develop their sense of self, apart from other people. Adolescents often start to question everything they were taught as children and start to individuate. Because of the relationship that I had been in during this time, developing my self had grown challenging. I felt as if this was a period of being very easily influenced and discovering more about myself, as well as other people. I had stayed in this on-and-off, manipulative relationship, but only after it was over did I realize the true effects it had on me. However, I would not change anything I learned during that time because it helped me figure out who I was. It truly gave me so many life lessons that I will carry throughout my life.

Identity Development in My Future Career

Freud’s theory of personality and psychosexual stages of development, as well as Erikson’s Eight Ages of Man will be useful to me in understanding how children develop their identities as well as what stages they are in. They may act in certain ways because of the stage that they are in. These stages are important because children will need to acquire qualities or virtues necessary to develop appropriately. If they do not, they may develop fixations or pathologies. My role will be to assist children in overcoming these fixations or pathologies and acquiring the necessary qualities or virtues. I may need to put myself in that child’s point of view and gauge how best I can assist them depending on which stage they are in. It should be developmentally appropriate for the child. Additionally, each child is unique and will have their own identity, separate from their parents.

Winsor, D.L., Murrell, V.S., & Magun-Jackson, S. (Eds.) (2017). Lifespan Development: An Educational Psychology Perspective (4th ed.).