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Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Summary Chart

Whatever age, sex or colour you happen to be, whatever stage of human development you
may have reached, you will have memories of phases when life seemed more of a trial than
others. You may have experienced a difficult childhood, when you felt unloved, or lacking in
approval. You may have been taught that guilt was a natural state of mind, and through
experience, that trusting others only ended in tear and pain.
Reflecting back over your life, you will have your own recollections of experiences from earlier
life phases that either positively or negatively influenced your beliefs, thoughts and experiences
up to this point. Vitally important learning skills are acquired in our formative years. We receive so
much of that learning as a result of influences received from events, selections (choices) and
people.
Psychotherapy –vs– Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

It can be seen from the Erikson Model that our conditioning and programming in early years can
affect the way we cope with the challenges of life. Much of therapy deals with the shortfalls we
may have experienced moving through each development stage.

Psychotherapy is a process whereby psychological problems are treated through
communication and relationship factors between an individual and a trained mental health
professional.
CBT focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive distortions and behaviours,
improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target
solving current problems. Essentially, CBT focuses on helping patients arrive at their own answers.