Erik Erikson

German-born American psychoanalyst and essayist, 20th century

4 quotes in the MindQuotes library.

About

Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a German-born American psychoanalyst known for developing the eight-stage theory of psychosocial development spanning the entire human lifespan and for coining the term 'identity crisis'. Trained at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute under Anna Freud, he emigrated to the United States in 1933 and became the first child psychoanalyst in Boston. He held academic positions at Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley. His studies of historical figures such as Martin Luther and Gandhi pioneered the genre of psychobiography. His book 'Gandhi's Truth' won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1970.

* 1902-06-15 — † 1994-05-12

Major works

Childhood and Society (1950)essay
Young Man Luther (1958)psychobiography
Gandhi's Truth: On the Origins of Militant Nonviolence (1969)psychobiography
The Life Cycle Completed: Extended Version (1997)essay

Key milestones

1933Emigrated to the United States after the Nazis came to power, becoming the first child psychoanalyst in Boston.
1960Appointed Professor of Human Development at Harvard University, a position he held until 1970.
1970Received the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for 'Gandhi's Truth'.

Themes

Psychosocial developmentIdentity crisisPsychobiographyInfluence of society on personalityLife cycle

Sources: psychology.fas.harvard.edu · news.harvard.edu · api.thecrimson.com

“The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.”

— Erik EriksonTheme · Personal Development

Create visual

“Life doesn't make any sense without interdependence. We need each other, and the sooner we learn that, the better for us all.”

— Erik EriksonTheme · Life

Create visual

“The sense of identity provides the ability to experience one's self as something that has continuity and sameness, and to act accordingly.”

— Erik EriksonTheme · Psychology

Create visual

“If there is any responsibility in the cycle of life it must be that one generation owes to the next that strength by which it can come to face ultimate concerns in its own way.”

— Erik EriksonTheme · Family

Create visual