Research Paper
The study of adolescent psychology has many different facets that have been debated since the invention of the concept of adolescence back in the early twentieth century. Two of the main contributors to the study of adolescent psychology are Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget. These two men come from strangely different backgrounds; Erikson, being kind of a wanderer with no interest in formal schooling and Piaget, the scholar for most of his life. Erikson's theory is more psychoanalytic in that it emphasizes the importance of adolescents' unconscious thoughts whereas, Piaget focuses more on cognitive theories that stress the importance of an adolescents' conscious thoughts (Santrock 43). Both of these theories stem from the works of Sigmund Freud. Freud studied both conscious and unconscious influences on cognitive and social development. His main emphasis was on the development of personality in the conscious and unconscious mind. Freud believed that there are three structures: the id, one's instincts; the ego, where rational decisions are made; and the superego, the conscience. These three structures function together in both the conscious and unconscious mind; the id, functions in the unconscious and the ego and superego f
This is often viewed as one of the most formative stages because "individuals are faced with finding out who they are, what they are all about, and where they are going in life" (Santrock 306). The sensorimotor stage lasts from birth to about 2 years. Adolescent development is not a stage of development that can be easily mapped out. Another theory of Freud's focuses on the psychosexual stages that occur within the first five years of life; Erikson expands on this by claiming that an individual goes through 8 different stages that are on going throughout one's life span. Stage three is initiative versus guilt (3 to 5 years), "children's increasing ability to communicate and to imagine leads them to initiate many activities" (Berns 36); if they are given opportunity to ask questions, try new things and are made to feel a sense of accomplishment with their trials, children's sense of guilt should be overcome. Next is the preoperational stage which lasts from about 2 years until 7 years old. This stage occurs during a child's school age and is highlighted by the child's enthusiasm for learning; they are exposed to many new experiences and are given much opportunity to explore each one. This development occurs through the unconscious whereas, Piaget's cognitive theory concentrates on the conscious process of development. Here individuals are confronted with discovering and trying to form intimate relationships with others. At this stage, the child uses its senses to interact with the environment. If these close relationships are not achieved, a sense of isolation will prevail. The final stage in Erikson's theory is integrity versus despair (60 to ). These eight stages are based on development throughout the entire life span with an emphasis on social interaction helping one through each stage.
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