Erik Erikson (15 June 1902 – 12 May 1994) was a German-born American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human beings. He may be most famous for coining the phrase identity crisis. His son, Kai T. Erikson, is a noted American sociologist.
Although Erikson lacked even a bachelor's degree, he served as a professor at prominent institutions such as Harvard and Yale.
Read more about Erik Erikson: Early Life, North America, Theories of Development and The Ego, Erikson's Theory of Personality
Famous quotes related to erik erikson:
“In any case, raw aggression is thought to be the peculiar province of men, as nurturing is the peculiar province of women.... The psychologist Erik Erikson discovered that, while little girls playing with blocks generally create pleasant interior spaces and attractive entrances, little boys are inclined to pile up the blocks as high as they can and then watch them fall down: ‘the contemplation of ruins,’ Erikson observes, ‘is a masculine specialty.’”
—Joyce Carol Oates (b. 1938)
“Young people of high school age can actually feel themselves changing. Progress is almost tangible. It’s exciting. It stimulates more progress. Nevertheless, growth is not constant and smooth. Erik Erikson quotes an aphorism to describe the formless forming of it. ‘I ain’t what I ought to be. I ain’t what I’m going to be, but I’m not what I was.’”
—Stella Chess (20th century)