Your Response to Your Environment

Chapter 4

Explain the theories of Erikson, Havighurst, Maslow, and Kohlberg concerning personal development.

Describe the use of defense mechanisms in responding to your environment.

Explain various types of personal response patterns.

Objectives

Every situation in your life requires you to respond to your environment.

Many theories have been formed concerning the development of humans and their personalities.

How You Respond to Your Environment

Erikson’s theory is that personality development is affected by each of eight stages in the life cycle.

In each Stage, a person confronts certain crises that must be resolved before moving to the next stage.

Erickson’s Stages of Human Development

Occurs during infancy and establishes our most basic sense of trust.

Consistent love & attention → confidence and trust.

Unloved or abused → insecure and mistrustful.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Occurs between ages one and four

Children begin to experience autonomy.

Autonomy – the freedom of self-direction

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

Reach this stage around four or five.

Initiative – desires to begin action.

Children begin to develop imagination and begin to do things on their own.

Initiative vs. Guilt

From ages six to twelve. They learn that work is worthwhile and

meaningful. Inferiority – feeling unimportant or

inadequate.

Accomplishment and Industry vs. Inferiority

Occurs during adolescence

Identity – knowing who you are

As adolescents gain maturity, they begin to view life and the world around them differently.

Identity vs. Identity Confusion

The sixth stage is concerned with establishing a sense of intimacy with others.

Young adults who succeed in this stage have accepted themselves as worthwhile persons.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

In the seventh stage, adults develop a sense of generativity.

Generativity – Concern for future generations

Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

A sense of integrity develops in people who succeed in the final stage of development.

Integrity – A state of being complete. The person is satisfied with his or her life.

Integrity vs. Despair

Havighurst identified developmental tasks that people perform as they grow.

Success in these tasks leads to happiness and success in other developmental tasks they will perform later in life.

Failure leads to unhappiness, disapproval by society, and difficulty with later developmental tasks.

Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks of Adolescence

Becoming more adult Deciding on roles Accepting your physical self Becoming more independent Preparing for marriage and

family life Selecting an occupation Developing personal priorities Becoming more socially

responsible

Havighurst’s Developmental Tasks of Adolescence

Because you are human, you have certain needs. You share these needs with all other humans, but you fulfill them in unique ways.

In Maslow’s system, he arranged needs in order of their priorities.

Maslow’s Theory of Human Needs

Maslow’s Theory of Human Needs

Physical Needs

Physical needs have first priority. Fulfillment of physical needs is necessary

for good health, a state of well-being, and the continuation of life.

Physical Needs

Once you have satisfied your physical needs, you can address other needs.

You need to feel safe from physical danger. You need to feel secure in daily routines so you know what to expect from life.

Safety and Security

Everyone needs to be needed.

You need to feel that you are accepted by others, and you need to feel secure in your relationships.

Love and Acceptance

You need esteem (respect and admiration).

Self-esteem must be established first.

You must respect yourself first before you can expect others to respect you.

Esteem

Self-actualization is the realization of your full potential.

To reach this level, all other levels of needs must be at least partially fulfilled.

Self-Actualization

Kohlberg believed that people pass through a series of predictable stages in their moral thinking.

Morals – Beliefs about right and wrong behavior.

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Preconventional Level: Moral decisions are based on punishment & rewards.

◦ Stage 1 – Threat of punishment influences decisions

◦ Stage 2 – Desire for rewards influences decisions

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Conventional Level: Moral decisions are based on social rules and expectations.

◦ Stage 3 – Opinions of others influence decisions

◦ Stage 4 – Respect for law and order guides behavior

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Postconventional Level – Moral decisions are based on personal ethics concerning what is morally right

◦ Stage 5 – Personal priorities concerning individual human rights influence decisions

◦ Stage 6 – Self-chosen ethical principles guide decisions

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Each time something happens in your environment to threaten your self-esteem, you react.

Defense Mechanisms – Ways that people may react, almost automatically, to anxiety-producing events or threats.

Defense Mechanisms

Direct attack – In response to a threat to your self-esteem, you attack the source of your threat.

Compensation – Using a substitute method to achieve a desired goal.

Rationalization – When you explain your weaknesses or failure by giving socially acceptable excuses

Defense Mechanisms

Projection – When you blame other people or things for your failures.◦ Scapegoat – The

person who bears the pain for the others; taking the blame for something you didn’t do.

Defense Mechanisms

Displacement – Transferring an emotion connected with one person or thing to an unrelated person or thing.

Conversion – Transferring the energy of desire you cannot express into a physical symptom or complaint

Defense Mechanisms

Regression – A defense mechanism in which you revert back to a less mature stage of development.

Idealization – Valuing something far more than its worth.◦ Something in your life that

means a lot to you even if its not worth anything.

Defense Mechanisms

Daydreaming Giving Up

Defense Mechanisms

Anger Fear Depression Attitudes Prejudices – An opinion formed without

knowledge. Stereotypes – The false belief that all

members of a given group are the same.

Personal Response Patterns