The Erik Erikson Reader Book

A celebration of the legacy of one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century, whose insights into humankind can serve as a beacon to guide our passage into the next millennium. Erik H. Erikson is recognized as one of the world's leading figures in the field of psychoanalysis and human development. His ideas about the stages of development, the sources of identity, and the interdependence of individual growth and historical change completely revolutionized our understanding of the nature and course of psychological growth. Erikson, whose work first described for us the now familiar concepts of "identity crisis" and "life cycle," provided us with an unprecedented framework for regarding the workings of the individual psyche within society and culture. Unveiling a dynamic process of psychological development, he emphasized the tendency toward growth and the integration of multiple influences--the biological, social, psychological, cultural, and historical. Erikson's work thus provides a critical bridge for fathoming the psychology of the individual in modern society. With writings from Erikson's entire career, including major work from Childhood and Society, Insight and Responsibility, Young Man Luther, and Gandhi's Truth, this reader charts the influence of his thinking on child psychology, development through the lifespan, leadership, and moral growth.Read More