Selecting an Age Group/Developmental Stage

Developmental Psychology Theories

Erik Erikson-Ego & Identity Formation

Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a disciple of Freud’s who agreed with Freud’s work with the unconscious but disagreed with the significant importance of sexual tension. Erikson’s greatest contribution was his focus on psychosocial development; the processes in which individuals develop within their social environments with a focus on relationships.

Erikson hypothesized the significant role of the ego in the maturation of one’s self-identity (sense of self). Erikson and Freud believed certain life events can bring about overpowering stress and negative affects on one’s sense of self. When this overpowering stress occurs, per Erikson and Freud, such stress and life events can trigger criminal behavior. Please keep in mind; one single event is not often the sole trigger in an individual’s decision to commit a crime. It is often a series of events and emotions, which have occurred over time and bothered the individual’s thoughts and emotions.

Piaget Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget was interested in how an organism adapts to its environment. Behavior is controlled through mental organizations called schemata that the individual uses to represent the world and action. This adaptation is driven by a biological drive to obtain balance between schemas and the environment.

Piaget hypothesized that infants are born with schema operating at birth that he called "reflexes." In other animals, these reflexes control behavior throughout life. However, in human beings as the infant uses these reflexes to adapt to the environment, these reflexes are quickly replaced with constructed schemata.

Piaget described two processes used by the individual in its attempt to adapt: assimilation and accommodation. Both of these processes are used though out life as the person increasingly adapts to the environment in a more complex manner.

Assimilation is the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures. Accommodation is the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment.

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Theory

Sigmund Freud is the pioneer psychologist in this perspective. A significant contribution by Freud is his assessment of one’s personality structure. Freud believed one’s personality or the human psyche is comprised of 3 parts (tripartite): id, ego and superego.

The id is the impulsive (unconscious) part of our psyche, which immediately responds to our instincts. It knows no rules, boundaries or limitations. The id heavily relies on immediate gratification and when it does not occur we experience pain and unhappiness.

The ego functions as the mediator between the unrealistic id and the external real world. The ego seeks pleasure and avoids pain but unlike the id the ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. An example is a child snatching a toy out of a playmates hand because of id’s desire. If the child is able to stop from grabbing the toy from a playmate, ego is occurring.

The superego is referred to as the psyche’s moral compass. It is responsible for feelings of guilt and shame. The superego consists of two systems: conscience and ideal self. According to Freud, if all three parts work together in a fluid manner, a child is mentally healthy. If the three parts are in conflict, these individuals are maladjusted and prone to antisocial behavior. 

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs