Page 34 - Advanced Biblical Counseling Student Textbook

Most children growing up under adversity and hardship are resilient (able to withstand or recover
quickly from difficult conditions); they become normal adults. But others, especially those who
experience no sharp break from their abusive past, don’t bounce back so readily. Some 30 percent of
people who have been abused do abuse their children. Extreme early trauma seems to leave footprints
48
on the brain.”

Reflection: How can a relationship with Jesus change this? How would a pastor counsel a person who
has experienced abuse? Reflect on this question. We will discuss it in an upcoming chapter on trauma.

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development
Erik Erikson was a German-American developmental
psychologist who lived from 1902-1994. He is well-known for
his research and writings on the psychosocial development of
humans.

Author Saul McLeod (2018) states, “Erikson maintained that
personality develops in a predetermined order through eight
stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to
adulthood. During each stage, the person experiences a
psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative
outcome for personality development.

For Erikson, these crises (or basic conflict) are of a psychosocial
nature because they involve psychological needs of the
individual (i.e., psycho) conflicting with the needs of society
(i.e., social).

According to the theory, successful completion of each stage
results in a healthy personality and the acquisition of basic
virtues. Basic virtues are characteristic strengths which the ego
can use to resolve subsequent crises. Failure to successfully
complete a stage can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages and therefore an unhealthier
personality and sense of self. These stages, however, can be resolved successfully at a later time” (p. 2).
(photo: wordpress.com)

Spend some time looking at the following chart that shows Erickson’s Stage Theory. Notice the age and
basic conflict/crisis. Read the resolution/virtue as well as the description of each stage. Think about your
own life as well as those around you of different ages. Do these stages-conflicts-key questions make
sense, or do they not seem accurate? Read about the adult age and old age. Do the outcomes align with
people you know in these stages of life? It is an interesting theory of lifespan development and one of
the most popular. Erikson’s stage theory is taught in many different content areas from education
courses to psychology. Refer back to this chart as we read about these stages. (chart: www.pinterest.com)

48 Ibid.

33