What are some similarities and differences between Piagets and Eriksons theories of child development?

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Development psychology has changed a lot since the 20th century. Two theorists whose impacted child psychology and early childhood education are Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. This essay will compare and contrast the contribution of these two theorists, Also their study of various development stages, the similarities as well as their differences in their theories and significance of the stages. Erik Erikson developed the most common theories of emotional development. Jean Piaget developed the most common theories of cognitive development.

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Jean Piaget Cognitive theory focused on the different stages of a child where they alter from one stage to the other follows an order. It is important to investigate the concepts that form the bases of his theory. Firstly is the issue of schemata that he professionalized as the mental structure that represents the world. Through the learning process, children change their schemata by adapting, due to assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation adds new information to the existing schemata while adaptation modifies new information into the schemata. Ideally, there is balance between assimilation and accommodation to ensure stability. He developed the four stages through observing children. He believed all children follow these four stages in order,

To begin with the first step is the sensorimotor, this stage is during the infancy till two years of age period. During this stage the infant gains mental images begin to form while images of objects remain engrained in the child’s brain. The second stage is Preoperational during this period the child is about two to seven years old of age. Symbolic thoughts start to develop, during this stage reasoning as is not important at all. The next stage is the Concrete period, this is when children from the age of seven to eleven starts to learn to reason, do mental mathematics, as well during this stage children start to look at things with different perspectives. The final stage is the Formal Operation period it occurs from the age eleven to adulthood. At this stage is when abstract thinking is the center stage, during this stage hypothesis development and deduced reasoning become easier to comprehend.

Erick Erickson was well known for his Psychosocial Development Theory. His theory was developed much later than Piaget, but he developed eight unique stages across a human’s, his theory describes the way the person deals with hurdles at a stage determines the aftermath as well. The first stage is Trust versus Mistrust this stage happens when a child younger than the age of one. Erikson’s theory says during this stage the infant is totally dependable on the caregiver. It feels safe when the infant is with its parent. In the other hand when the infant is not with its care giver, it feels as if its safety is minimized and fear starts to develop. The second stage is Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt; this period takes place between one to three years of age. The child starts to gain some independence by observing basic life skills. When they child accomplish its goal, it feels secured but when the child doesn’t accomplish its goal it starts to self-doubt and be insecure. The following stage is the Initiative versus Guilt, during this period the child’s age is three to six years old. They start to become more aware of the social environment. Children start to plan activities, make up games, and initiate plans with others. If given this chance, children develop a sense of initiative. During this stage the child will begin to ask many questions such as “why” or “how” as their hunger for knowledge grows. Too much guilt can make the child slower to interact with others and could affect their creativity. Guilt is of course necessary sometimes; if not the child would not know how to self-control or have a conscience. If initiative and guilt is evenly balanced it will lead to a virtue of purpose.

The fourth stage is the Industry versus Inferiority, during this stage the kids is between the ages of six to twelve, during this period the kids are at the point when they are learning to write and read and do stuff on their own. The kid now feels the need to prove himself to fit in society and gains pride or popularity by doing things that are popular in culture. The fifth period is Identity versus Confusion at this stage the adolescent is between the ages of 12-18, during this age the adolescent is developing into an adult. At this time of life, the adolescent is searching for a sense of self identity through a personal adventure for self-values, goals and beliefs. The sixth stage is the Intimacy versus Isolation, during this period the adult is between the ages of 18-40 at this point relationships start to become an important factor for the success of the individual,

If this stage is completed a person can result in a healthy relationship and a sense of commitment, safety, and care within a relationship rather than just from family. Family intimacy, scare of a relationship or commitment can lead to loneliness, and sometimes depression. But succeeding in this stage will lead to love.

The seventh stage is Generativity versus Stagnation during this stage the individual is in middle of adulthood approximately between the ages of 40-65. The adult experiences a need to create or nurture things that will outlast them such as raising children or being more productive at what you love. If a person seems to be failing, it will feel as if he or she is unproductive and doesn’t have anyone who cares for them. The final stage is Integrity versus. Despair at this point the adult is about 65 plus years old. During this stage one tends to slow down productivity and starts to live in retirement. At this time is when one observes their accomplishments and gain integrity if we see one’s life as leading figures and successful. Erik Erikson believed if one sees their lives as unproductive, they feel guilty about their past, or may also feel that they didn’t accomplish their life goals, one becomes dissatisfied with life and develops despair, usually leading to depression and hopelessness.

Some of the differences of these two theorists are Piaget views on adolescent is a rational being with rational thoughts. Erikson says that at this stage is when the teenager focuses on independence and in decision-making. The theorist also differs in the fact how they view the stages occurs. Piaget says a person may not go through all four phases of his theory; an individual influences their own world. Life experiences determine development according to Piaget’s theory. Erikson believes going through all the stages up to old age is seen as important in explaining the development process in one’s life. Both these theorists have some similarities, such as examining the issues of developmental psychology using phases to explain the process. Each of the theories determines that each stage has different challenges in the developmental process. Erickson and Piaget built on the idea that personalities’ development takes place across a person’s life span. Therefore, individuals get inspired from their surroundings through the learning process.

Introduction 

Development psychology has undergone many changes since the beginning of the 20th century. Most early theorists influenced the field of psychology significantly. Notable theorist whose impact determines child psychology and early childhood education are Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. This paper delves into the contribution of these two theorists in their study of various development stages, the differences and similarities in their theories and significance of these stages. 

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory 

The theory proposed by Piaget focuses on the various stages of a child where transition from one stage to the other follows a sequence. He developed the stages with key ideas as his building blocks. It is necessary to look into the concepts that form the bases of his theory. Firstly is the issue of schemata that he conceptualized as the mental structure that represents the world. Through the learning process, children change their schemata by adapting, due to assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation adds new information to the existing schemata while adaptation modifies new information into the schemata. Ideally, there is balance between assimilation and accommodation to ensure equilibrium. 

From the above ideas, he developed the four stages through observation of children. He believed all children passed through the stages sequentially throughout their lifetime. The stages are divided based on age and abilities accompanying them. He divided the stages into four (Snowman et al 33). 

Sensorimotor stage: This represents the period from infancy and up to two years of age. At this period, movement and application of senses takes place. Additionally, mental images begin to form while images of objects remain engrained in the child’s mind. 

Preoperational period: It takes place between two and seven years where symbolic thoughts develop. Reasoning is nonetheless shallow. Measurement abilities are equally low even when features of objects change. 

Concrete stage: Children between the ages of seven to eleven learn to reason and perform mental problems on numbers; the children also look into problems from different perspectives and can reverse activities mentally. 

Formal operation stage: It occurs from eleven years of age to adulthood. Abstract thinking takes center stage. Similarly, in this stage hypothesis formation and deduced reasoning become easier to understand. 

Eric Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory 

He developed his theory much later than Piaget did, but he also dealt in development with eight unique stages across the life of a person. New hurdles characterized each stage; the way the person deals with hurdles at a stage determines the aftermath. Consequently, naming of the stages occurred with the likely outcomes in mind. The stages include: 

Trust vs. mistrust: Occurs in children below the age of one. The theory posits that, in this stage, the infant is totally dependent on parents and caregivers. Thus, trust is established when the infant feels safe under care; likewise mistrust occurs when safety is minimal. Mistrust and minimal attachment of the child also creates an environment of fear. 

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt: Takes place between one and three years of age. The child develops some sense of independence through learning basic life skills. When children accomplish the purpose of the stage they feel secure. Failure, on the other hand, leads to self-doubt and insecurity. 

Initiative vs. Guilt: Takes place between three and six years of age, children become aware of the social environment. Social settings affect the children to exert authority when opportunity is provided. 

Industry vs. Inferiority: It covers the ages of six to twelve; competition with fellow children brings out the abilities and skills of the children. A feeling of competency for the victors follows while feelings of doubts linger on the minds of unsuccessful children. 

Identity vs. Confusion: The period coincides with the onset of adolescence up to young adulthood. An individual forms an identity, understands his/her role in society and experiences a sense of direction in life. Those who do not succeed emerge bruised with feelings of insecurity of the future. 

Intimacy vs. Isolation: Relationships are significant factors for the success of individuals; success depends on healthy and secure relationships. Lack of identity leads to lower self-esteem and higher rates of depression (Snowman et al. 29). 

Generativity vs. stagnation: In adulthood, people are productive in their lives through family, work and career. Success in this stage exudes feelings of accomplishment to the society. Failure leads to stagnation in life and unproductive lives. 

Integrity vs. Despair: Eric’s last stage deals with the period of old age, people look back into their lives, and accomplishment during one’s life brings bout feelings of contentment while failure leads to disappointment at the wasted opportunities. Additionally, satisfaction follows those who have accomplished their life long wishes (Snowman et al. 30). 

Differences 

Erik’s theory focuses on the entire development process in life in eight stages. He asserts that the environment interacts with an individual to influence the development. In each of the phases, one encounters crisis and success depends on how he handles the challenges. Skills acquired in progression to another stage lessen insecurity in the individual. These challenges occur in the lifespan from infancy to older age of an individual. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development looks into thought processes of a person. His emphasis is mainly in the earlier stages below the age of twelve. Development of cognitive skills occurs from infancy to the operational phase (above 12 years of age) where abstract thoughts make sense. Naming of the stages represents the cognitive skill attained in the child and adult. Despite the use of stages, they both differ on the timing aspect; Erikson’s theory holds that the first stage ends at one year old while Piaget postulates that the first stage ends at two years of age. 

Erikson draws inspiration from the psychoanalytic school of thought as earlier espoused by Freud (Smart 79). His theory came into being later than Piaget’s; Erikson added more ideas to Freud’s theory, that the environment determined personality in individuals. Erikson recognized the significance of sense, autonomy versus shame and doubt provides a compelling example of this. The child uses symbols to represent people and places. Challenges are bound to occur in every stage in Erikson’s theory; in contrast, Piaget focus ends in adulthood while assuming the advent of old age. 

Their views on the development process show remarkable differences in the late teens. Piaget views an adolescent as a rational being with rational thoughts. Erik posits that at this stage, the teenager focuses on independence in decision-making, relationships and self-discovery. Piaget’s stages emanated from research and observation while in Erikson’s case it came from experience. Since Erickson is from the psychoanalyst school of thought, he points out that the ego changes constantly altering the individual’s personality. Piaget solely focuses on changes in his theory of four stages, totally ignoring ego in his analysis. Erikson uses the social setting as the bases of his theory. Piaget bases his theory on the assumption of a child’s senses and capability as determinants of development. 

Erikson dwelled on personality development; thus, he used observation, clinical methods and questions to conclude. Piaget focused on cognitive development through mental processes, where he asked questions and then followed up by other questions. Through his studies, Piaget theorized the manner in which children formed thoughts. 

The theories also contrast in the manner in which they view the stages. According to Piaget, a person may not necessarily go through all phases of his theory; an individual influences their world. Experiences determine development in Piaget’s theory while to Erikson going through all the stages up to old age is seen as essential in explaining the development process. 

Similarities 

Both of these theories examine the issue of developmental psychology using phases to explain the process. Each of the theories posits that each stage has different challenges in the development process. Thus, successive stages build upon each other to the extent that failure in the preceding stage also precipitates failure in the next stage. 

The two theories build on the idea that personality development takes place across a person’s lifespan. Therefore, individuals get inspiration from the surroundings through the learning process. In turn, cognition influences the person to leave a mark in the society and enjoy success. They are also similar on their emphasis on scientific method of enquiries through controlled experiments of a laboratory investigation. Both of the theories have a profound impact on society, especially in early childhood education. However, the integration of the two provides better answers to psychologists and educators on the best way to teach young children. 

Early Childhood, Adolescence and Their Significance 

Early childhood and adolescence are significant stages for individuals, where they grow physically to attain some form of independence. Cognitive development also takes place with language being understood in the early years while abstract thinking occurs at adolescence. Social development and emotional expressions also accompany people in development while security and safety at younger ages leads to a better outlook on the surroundings (Rathus 507). 

Conclusion 

Piaget and Erikson contributed a lot in the field of development psychology. Though drawing inspiration from diverse sources in the 20th century, their contributions cannot be ignored despite the time gap. In conclusion, the paper highlighted similarities as well as differences between the two stages. Stages were the main focal points of the theories with each preceding stage unique from the next. 

Works Cited 

Rathus, Spencer. Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development. New York: Centage learning, 2010. Print 

Smart, Julie. Disability across the Development Life Span. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2011. Print Snowman, Jack et al. Psychology Applied to Teaching. New York: Centage learning. 2011. Print