Erikson, Erik

Name

Erik Homburger Erikson.

Introduction

Erik H. Erikson was a twentieth-century psychoanalyst. His major contribution to the field was the concept that identity development extends across the lifespan and is rooted in a sociocultural context. He is best known for the eight stages of psychosocial development and the identity crisis.

Career

Erikson’s career was molded by multiple cultural influences. In 1902, Erikson was born to Danish parents, a Jewish mother and Protestant father. He was raised by his mother and stepfather in Germany and attended a Jewish school where he did not feel accepted due to his gentile appearance. After wandering through Europe as an artist, in 1927 Erikson moved to Vienna and began teaching children. At this time, he began studying child psychoanalytic theory and practice with Anna Freud at Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute.

In 1933, during Hitler’s rise, he fled to the United States with his Canadian-born wife, Joan Serson. Serson collaborated with Erikson...