The process of formation of one’s psychological identity and personhood has long fascinated scientists in multiple areas of research. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development (1950) include the dichotomies of trust and mistrust, autonomy and doubt, initiative and guilt, industry and inferiority, identity and confusion, intimacy and isolation, generosity and stagnation, and, finally, integrity and despair. All eight phases highlight how social conflicts may affect growth and development, but the sixth stage, intimacy versus isolation, is a particularly rough transition with far-reaching consequences for people’s personal life.
Erikson felt that developing intimate, dedicated connections with others was essential. These emotionally close interactions play a key part in a person’s emotional well-being as they approach adulthood. Young adults require the establishment of close relationships with individuals around them in order to continue their natural development. Failure leads to loneliness and isolation, whilst success leads to close relationships. Both of these results are crucial in the development of one’s self-perception and self-worth.
While some individuals describe young adulthood as a period lasting from one’s late teens to their twenties, others define it as a period lasting from one’s late teens to their forties. A person in the intimacy stage is looking for close, caring interactions. Individuals frequently explore partnerships and weddings during this period. Individuals who struggle to create or do not form meaningful relationships are isolated; therapy can be especially helpful in providing assistance to someone who is isolated (Worth, 2021).
This stage includes a noticeably wider range of potential ages within its demographic, partially due to its inherent volatility. A person’s ability or inability to meaningfully connect with others is likely to stem from a variety of factors that are often completely irrelevant to one another. As well as other stages of psychological development, capacity, and experience in intimacy cannot be fully or adequately predicted or quantified.
Intimacy is a decision to give oneself up to others and share experiences with them, resulting in the establishment of interpersonal ties. According to Erikson (1950), when a person takes a chance and shows vulnerability and trust, these qualities may be reciprocated to them, resulting in the formation of a relationship. However, if such attempts are reprimanded, or if the expressed sentiments are rejected, a person is more prone to retreat and isolate oneself (Berk, 1998).
Fears of being ignored, scorned, or harmed might lead to a conscious decision to withdraw from society. In the end, this can lead to poor self-esteem, which can make a person even less inclined to form new connections or partnerships (Syed & McLean, 2017). By becoming trapped in such a self-reinforcing circle, people are likely to withdraw from the connections they already possess, thus making the problem worse in the long run.
Personally, I have experienced the dualism innate to the sixth stage of psychological development, as explained by Erikson. I find intimacy extremely desirable in social interactions, and yet I often struggle to build it due to anxiety and insecurity. The importance that the theory in question attributes to learning how to overcome these fears is reassuring and can contribute to my attempts at building interpersonal relationships moving forward. Furthermore, I believe that it contextualizes the universal human desire for connection and understanding, which is often easy to comprehend but difficult to vocalize. Therefore, it is important that teachers and other professionals working with children and teenagers are made aware of the titular framework.
References
Berk, L. E. (1998). Development through the lifespan. Allyn and Bacon.
Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton.
Syed, M., & McLean, K. C. (2017). Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Intellectual and Developmental Disorders, SAGE Publications
Worth, P. (2021). A Re-conceptualisation of Erikson’s Life Cycle: A Proposed Process to Address Individual Experiences of ‘Shame’. Shame 4.0, 159-175. Web.