Personifying Eriksons Theory Essay - 872 Words

Personifying Erikson’s Theory Erik Erikson was a prominent American psychologist that created many theories about human development and social growth. Erikson produced a stage model based upon the premise that a person lives in the social world and that personality is formed based upon the social interactions that a person experiences. He describes a series of development crises that a person must face throughout the lifespan. Erikson’s theory can be applied to â€Å"The King of Pop†, Michael Jackson. Many stages of Erikson’s psychosocial theory failed in Michael Jackson’s life. The results of Jackson not successful completing these stages lead him to be mentally deranged. Born August 29, 1958 had a normal infancy and toddler years,†¦show more content†¦As an adolescent Michael Jackson made appeared in a movie â€Å"The Whiz† and released his first solo album â€Å"Off The Wall†. His album swept the country topping the charts. He toured the country, show after sh ow, promoting for his album. In addition to his album, at this age he wrote songs with legends like Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. In Erik Erikson’s theory Jackson was in the Identity vs. Role Diffusion stage. Jackson was supposed to discovering himself and his interest. While touring the country and constantly performing how could Jackson identify interests? Erikson points out failure of this stage could result in being influenced by circumstances rather than from awareness. The failure of this stage appears later in Jackson’s life when he relies on others to help him make important life decisions. The next stage in Erik Erikson’s theory is Intimacy vs. Isolation. During this time a young adult expands from family and peers to the task of creating one’s own intimate relationships and sense of belonging in the world of peers. Michael Jackson tried to develop this but miserably failed. His first notable relationship was in 1984 with actress/model, Brooke Shields. The next person Jackson entered a relationship with was Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. Though the marriage only lasted two years, they remained friends. Lisa gave Jackson what he never really had and that was a genuine friend. His lastShow MoreRelated Grief Patterns in Children Essay4432 Words   |  18 Pageshow behaviors affect the way in which we interact with others, we are discovering new ways to approach and view the mental processes of a human and apply them to how a person grieves that loss. But while oft times those assumptions, hypothesis, and theories are made by adults for adults, the child is a more difficult subject in which to study since it has not achieved its mature mental capabilities. For the adult, a full and eventful life is the predecessor of a grasp of what life and death actually