Erik Homburger Erikson

Erik Homburger Erikson was a German-American psychoanalyst who is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the field of developmental psychology. He is best known for his theory of psychosocial development, which describes eight stages of human growth and development from infancy to old age, each characterized by a specific psychosocial crisis that must be resolved for healthy personality development. He also coined the term "identity crisis" to describe the challenges of finding one's sense of self and role in society during adolescence and beyond. Erikson was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 15, 1902. His mother, Karin Homburger, was a Jewish woman who had an extramarital affair with a Danish man named Valdemar Isidor Salomonsen, who was Erikson's biological father. However, Erikson never knew his father and was raised by his mother and her husband, Theodor Homburger, a Jewish pediatrician who adopted him when he was three years old. Erikson had a difficult childhood, as he faced discrimination and bullying for being Jewish and having a different surname from his adoptive father. He also struggled with his identity and felt like an outsider in his family and society. Erikson did not excel in school and dropped out at the age of 16. He then traveled around Europe and worked as an artist, teacher, and tutor. He became interested in psychoanalysis after meeting Anna Freud, the daughter of Sigmund Freud, in Vienna. He underwent psychoanalysis with her and decided to pursue a career in the field. He studied at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute and became a psychoanalyst himself. He also married Joan Serson, a Canadian dancer and psychologist, in 1930. They had four children together: Kai, Jon, Sue, and Neil. Erikson moved to the United States in 1933 to escape the Nazi regime. He worked as a professor at several universities, including Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, and Boston University. He also conducted research on various cultural groups, such as the Sioux Indians, the Yurok Indians, and the Montezuma schoolboys. He developed his theory of psychosocial development based on his clinical observations and cross-cultural studies. He published several books on his theory, such as Childhood and Society (1950), Identity: Youth and Crisis (1968), and The Life Cycle Completed (1982). Erikson received many honors and awards for his contributions to psychology, such as the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. He died of prostate cancer on May 12, 1994, at the age of 91. He is buried in Harwich, Massachusetts, with his wife Joan, who died two years later.