Theorists who were trained in psychoanalysis and who revised Sigmund Freud’s work are known as neo-Freudians, and Erik Erikson is one of them. Some of the characteristics of neo-Freudians include focusing on social environment instead of biological factors, concentrating on self instead of id and super ego and self actualization instead of sexual impulses, and concentrating on now and here not the past as Freud was proposed.
This paper’s main aim was to distinguish Erikson from Adler. Erikson did not go against Freud instead he expanded psychoanalysis in a broader ways, and was not far from Adler’s thinking (Individual psychology). Erikson did not leave the Freudians totally, although while going toward Adler and his theory about life-human development.
Opposite to Freud, Erikson believed that ego is the middle man between id and the super ego, and this involves both the biological and social aspects. Like Adler, Erikson believed in ego as being the mechanism that makes the self. Like Adler’s “style of life”, Erikson’s “Ego Identity” both involve the self and the surrounding environment in solving problems.
According to Erikson, if a person resolves all his crises without any problem, he achieves a healthy identity. This is the same with Adler’s theories of life cycle. Erikson’s eight developmental stages are very useful to the field of psychoanalysis, especially the adolescence stage.
In all his books Erikson never talks about Adler much, he only mentions him three times. Adler was also a Freudian at first but parted in 1911 after disagreeing with Freud for concentrating on ego psychology only in psychoanalysis. Erikson did respect Adler a lot and the work he did.
Referans:
Robert, F. M. (1986). Erik Erikson: Neo-adlerian. Individual Psychology. Journal of Adlerian Theory . Research & Practice, 42, 1.
Makaleyi özetleyen: Thokozani K.M.Mbewe
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder