Erik H. Erikson's Epigenetic Scheme

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The Epigenetic Scheme of Erik H. Erikson

Stage (age)	Psychosocial crisis	Significant relations	Psychosocial modalities	Psychosocial virtues	Maladaptations and malignancies
1 (0-1) - infant	trust v mistrust	mother	to get, to give in return	hope, faith	sensory distortion - withdrawal
2 (2-3) - toddler	autonomy v shame and doubt	parents	to hold on, to let go	will, determination	impulsivity - compulsion
3 (3-6) - preschooler	initiative v guilt	family	to go after, to play	purpose, courage	ruthlessness - inhibition
4 (7-12 or so) - school-age child	industry v inferiority	neighbourhood and school	to complete, to make things together	competence	narrow virtuosity - inertia
5 (12-18 or so) - adolescence	ego-identity v role-confusion	peer groups, role models	to be oneself, to share oneself	fidelity, loyalty	fanaticism - repudiation
6 (the 20s) - young adult	intimacy v isolation	partners, friends	to lose and find oneself in a another	love	promiscuity - exclusivity
7 (late 20s to 50's) - middle adult	generativity v self-absorption	household, workmates	to make be, to take care of	care	overextension - rejectivity
8 (50s and beyond) - old adult	integrity v despair	mankind or "my kind"	to be, through having been, to face not being wisdom	wisdom	presumption - despair

A study of the table might pay. Erikson finds there are eight life stages. The five first of them relate to the five stages in Sigmund Freud's theory of libido (id) development, but Erikson expands the Freudian views into the socal sphere too.
Erikson thinks that as a grown-up, part of your challenge is to master the quite typical challenges that each of three main life phases tends to bring. Each of the eight stages of the life-span is marked by (a) psychosocial sensitivity (maybe "crisis" is a somewhat ill-chosen word); (b) significant relations; (c) things to go for or prefer; (d) marked or profiled virtues; and (e) thare are also risks of maldaptations and malignancies.
A beneficient goal of life is to pass through the phases on their plus sides, without plots, disturbances, thwartings, opposing enemies on every hand - so as to prosper and live well. Some stumbling is difficult to avoid, especially in the sensitive start phases of each phase, and where others are ruthless.
One or more of these stages may be involved in encounters.

Erik Homburger Erikson (1902-94)

The American psychoanalyst Erikson was born in Frankfurt am Main. His writings on individual identity conjunct with social developments and interactions influenced many, and became quite popular.
While young, Erikson travelled around Europe and underwent training to become a psychoanalyst. In 1933 he emigrated to the United States. He sought to study how the ego, or consciousness, operates creatively in sane, well-ordered individuals.
Influenced by studies among Native Americans, Erikson set forth a theory that all societies develop institutions to accommodate personality development but that the solutions to similar problems differ between different societies.
His first major exposition on psychosocial development, Childhood and Society (1950), was ten years in the making. (1950). Erikson conceived eight stages of development, each confronting the individual with its own psychosocial demands. Personality development, says Erikson, takes place through a series of crises - I would say sensitive periods - that must be overcome - I would say successfully resolved - There is a series of such ongoing stages. The first five stages of his are heavily influenced by the theory of Freud. A successful outcome of one stage makes it easier to pass through the next stage without damage.
Erikson applied his insights into human nature on historical figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther. He linked psychoanalysis to history, political science, philosophy, and theology.

Erikson quotations

Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death.

Every society consists of men in the process of developing from children into parents.

The playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery . . . Child's play is the infantile form of the human ability to deal with experience by creating model situations and to master reality by experiment and planning.

Freud was once asked what he thought a normal person should be able to do well. Freud said: "Lieben und arbeiten" (to love and to work). It pays to ponder on this simple formula; it gets deeper as you think about it.

The adolescent is faced with the question: freedom from what and at what price?

Let models help thinking

Considering the Epigenetic Scheme of Things and Heidi Glum

Be not glum.

If the amount of years - chronological age - were all that go into it, top model Heidi Glum (1971-) is in her seventh phase of life according to a scheme that was designed by Erik Erikson. In that life phase a tough stand to make relates to both generativity and self-absorption.
Cindy Crawford appears to have chosen generativity. Now, in the seventh life phase significant focus is directed to workmates or household relations, and a deep need to take care of (others) should emerge. Care would be fit. Good luck with that, Heidi.

Literature
The epigenetic scheme is found in the first ofthe following Erikson books:

Bay: Erikson, Erik. Childhood and Society. Rev. ed. London: Vintage, 1995.
Idr: Erikson, Erik. Identity, Youth, and Crisis. New York: Norton, 1968.
Lin: Erikson, Erik. Livsringen sluttet. København: Reitzel, 1983.
Lus: Erikson, Erik. Martin Luther som ung mann. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1970.
Tlc: Erikson, Erik. The Life Cycle Completed. Extended version with new chapters by Joan Erikson. New York: Norton, 1997.

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