This course requires an APA research paper and must be written in APA format. This research paper will serve as your final assignment in this course. The assignment is a paper consisting of three parts: an interview, a personal exploration, and a theory critique. First, interview your parents or your primary care giver to gain their perspective of your journey through Erikson’s developmental stages. (Reference Erikson’s stages during the interview including the psychosocial crisis of that stage and your age. You may find it helpful to give your parental unit a handout about Erikson’s theory to read themselves or also read/explain his theory from your text). I realize that there is a wide range of parental units, so please feel free to interview an older sibling who may have raised you, a family member; if you were raised in foster care and do not have any contact with those individuals, just indicate this in your paper. Second, personally explore your own journey and recollection of progressing through Erikson’s stages. For each stage you traveled thus far, explore how you personally resolved the conflict presented in that stage and how that resolution facilitates future stages. (For example, the first stage is trust versus mistrust. Explore with your parental unit/care giver the events and circumstances of your first year. Examine also how your past and present issues with trust vs. mistrust may have been affected). This is the personal reflection area of your paper. In the second section of your paper, conclude with your understanding of your resolution in this stage. (Remember, having resolved the conflict at age one does not preclude you’re dealing with that conflict at a later stage in life. Yet, how you deal with trust vs. mistrust currently may be a window into your earlier resolution). The third part of your paper is to critique Erikson’s stages based on your personal journey. Does his theory adequately explain your behaviors? Did you have any problems relating to his theory? In what way is his theory helpful for developmental psychology? Speak to potential drawbacks as well as strengths.
