Erikson's Psychosocial Theory Applied to Adolescent Fiction: A Means for Adolescent Self-clarification.

cent. After reading them, we understand more thoroughly the stages through which human beings progress as they grow. Understanding human development is a basic step, but applying knowledge is the key to guiding those individuals in each teacher's charge. This article presents discussion and application of adolescent development as described by Erik Erikson in his psychosocial developmental theory of human beings. Erikson, a psychologist, identifies eight stages through which human beings progress from birth to death. The theory posits a hierarchical development in which the individual builds upon experiences from earlier stages. Within each stage, one must overcome a conflict or crisis in order to successfully complete that specific stage. If a preceding stage's conflict is not resolved, one must rework it before one can successfully complete the conflict of the present stage.