- Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902.
- Died May 12, 1994.
Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902 in Frankfurt, Germany. His father, a Danish man, abandoned the family before he was born. His young, Jewish mother later married a physician, Dr. Theodor Homberger.
His interest in identity developed early based upon his own experiences in school. At his temple school, the other children teased him for being Nordic because he was tall, blonde, and blue-eyed. At grammar school, he was rejected because of his Jewish background.
After spending some time traveling throughout Europe, Erik Erikson studied psychoanalysis from Anna Freud and earned a certificate from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Erikson moved to the United States in 1933 and was offered a teaching position at Harvard Medical School. In addition to this, he also had a private practice in child psychoanalysis. Later, he held teaching positions at University of California at Berkeley, Yale, San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, Austen Riggs Center, and Center for Advanced Studies of the Behavioral Sciences.
He published a number of books on his theories and research, including Childhood and Society and The Life Cycle Completed. His book Ghandi’s Truth was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a national Book Award.
Contributions to Psychology:
Erik Erikson spent time studying the cultural life of the Sioux of South Dakota and the Yurok of northern California. He utilized the knowledge he gained of cultural, environmental, and social influences to further develop his psychoanalytic theory.While Freud’s theory had focused on the psychosexual aspects of development, Erikson’s addition of other influences helped to broaden and expand psychoanalytic theory. He also contributed to our understanding of personality as it is developed and shaped over the course of the lifespan.
Select Publications by Erik Erickson:
- Erikson, E.H. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York: Norton.
- Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: Norton.
- Erikson, E.H. (1975). Life History and the Historical Moment. New York: Norton.
- Erikson, E.H. (1996). Dialogue With Erik Erikson. Richard I. Evans (Ed.), Jason Aronson.
Biographies of Erik Erickson:
- Friedman, L. J. (1999). Identity's Architect; A Biography of Erik H. Erikson. Scribner Book Co.
- Coles, R. (1970). Erik H. Erikson: The Growth of His Work. Boston: Little, Brown.
