Erik Erikson Biography

20th century theorist Erik Erikson had strong influences throughout his youth pointing him in the direction of his lifelong passion toward psychoanalytic theories on child behavior. Erikson conducted research on identity which was an issue he faced as a young child. Erikson was raised Jewish yet had the appearance of a Scandinavian. This may have sparked his inner desire to conduct research on identity. He lost his father at a young age and subsequently was raised by his mother who later remarried. Erikson began to identify himself as an outsider. Erikson’s stepfather refused to accept his intense artistic inclinations and later Erikson abandoned his stepfather’s wishes to attend medical school and attended the Baden State Art School. Throughout Erikson’s educational journey he encountered many obstacles. After painting children’s portraits in Vienna he moved on to tutor/teach art at a school run by Dorothy Burlington, a friend of Anna Freud (an Austrian Psychanalyst.) In the 1920's his skill with children became apparent and Anna Freud began mentoring him. With Anna's encouragement Erikson began to study childpsychanalysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. At this point he became interested in the influence of society/culture on child development. He studied American Indian groups of children helping him formulate his theories, enabling him to correlate personality growth with parental and societal values. Erikson published "Childhood and Society" in 1950 and went on to develop and publish "The 8 Stages of Development" (his most famous piece,) developed the "identity crisis" concept, just to name a few among many other works that greatly influenced the development of the field of psychoanalysis.

Erikson immigrated to the U.S. in 1933

Erikson taught at Yale University and Harvard University

Erikson was born on June 15, 1902 in Germany and died on May 12, 1994 in Massachusetts leaving behind significant theories on child development.