Page 29 - Biblical Counseling II

“In humans, the unloved sometimes become the unloving. Most abusive parents – and many condemned
murderers – report having been neglected or battered as children. But does this mean that today’s victim is
predictably tomorrow’s victimizer? No. Though most abusers were indeed abused, most abused children do
not later become violent criminals or abusive parents.

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 on the brain” (Myers, p. 78,
2012).

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 to 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 conflicts) are of a
psychosocial nature because they involve the 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 that 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, a more unhealthy
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 stage-conflicts-key questions make sense, or do they
not seem accurate? Read about 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)

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