Theory: Individual Development Theory
I am drawn to theories relating to family dynamics, as I intend to eventually work in youth and family practice. Developmental theories feel like borderline personality tests, with attachment theory being highlighted in any 100-level Psychology course. Do you have difficulty forming healthy platonic and/or romantic relationships? Anxious attachment.
Similar to the personality test vibe is Erikson's Individual Development Theory.
image credit: Jonas Koblin (SproutsSchool)
The tldr of the theory is that the individual life experience is broken down into 8 stages (with a bonus 9th) with stops every few years to overcome. Think of playing the boardgame Life. Do you choose to go down the path of marriage or detour and complete college first? Erikson poses that each of these stages marks a significant stage in development that we either overcome or, well, don't. Using the comparison of attachment theory, the first step we must "overcome" is the crisis of trust vs. distrust at around 0-2 years old. The vulnerability experienced in infancy demands a level of trust from caretakers, and when that trust is broken or unfulfilled, we may find it difficult to trust in the future.
For myself, I can't decide whether I enjoy or fear the stage Erikson has placed me in - Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation. I personally still feel stuck in stage 5: identity vs. identity crisis
image credit: Jonas Koblin (SproutsSchool)
Here, fellow stage 6ers are meant to have an idea of who we are, what we want in relationships, and an idea of what our future occupation will look like. Having mastered identity, step 6 features finding life partners and jobs that last a lifetime. And if you don't? Isolation follows... doesn't intimacy have a better ring?
No theory is without its critiques, and I have words for Erikson's step 6. Labeling success in early adulthood as finding your forever job and a person to marry and start a family with is heteronormative, capitalistic, and pretty boring. I argue that 20s have now become a continuation of identity formation and that putting a timeframe on deciding "who you are" limits those from meeting their full, dynamic potential. Also! Cultural ties may contribute to how individuals find their partners or if they prioritize establishing their careers first. Sexuality, gender expression, and the desire to even have companionship or a family further complicate young adulthood.
All of that to say, there is merit to learning the Individual Development Theory. It can be helpful when trying to understand a person's reactions or decisions by placing their timeline along Erikson's. For example, we may learn from our client that they did not have many opportunities to socialize during elementary school. Aligning with stage 4: industry vs inferiority, we may understand why they seem overly negative toward themselves. Or it may be something completely different! That's up to us as social workers to critique.