There are various theories of what impacts a student in their childhood and eventually leads to how they respond to college experience. First, understanding “theory” is important, knowing that it is different from practice when principles are tested. A theory is a set of accepted beliefs or organized principles that explain and guide analysis. Focusing on psychological development, which is described as how and why human beings change over the course of their life, is an important concept to research and understand in higher education. There are several psychological development theories that explain the impact that childhood has on a student. Depending on how a student was taught, the people of influence in their life, and the education that was given, a student may deal with unresolved trauma throughout their college years. One theory that can be used in higher education is Erikson’s Psychological Development Theory. There are 8 stages within this model that are in three groups: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development are from infancy to adulthood. During each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality development. According to the theory, successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and the acquisition of basic virtues. Overlooked childhood trauma is something that a lot of students deal with, but don’t realize where the problem stems from. Students aren’t aware of this simply because “trauma” doesn’t always mean a bad childhood. By researching the stages of Erikson’s theory, it is apparent that unresolved issues, starting with the parents, can easily be overlooked and therefore, not dealt with. This can follow a student into their adulthood and throughout college. Learning how to help students deal with these issues can be a great accomplishment for higher education professionals.
Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development include trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame/doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. Erikson also expanded upon Freud’s stages by discussing the cultural implications of development; certain cultures may need to resolve the stages in different ways based upon their cultural and survival needs. All of these stages are crucial in student development. Higher education professionals should take the time to research each stage; especially stages related to the development of students while in college.
