Beyond Essentialist Critiques: The Co-development of Individual and Society within Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Identity Development

Abstract

Erikson's psychosocial theory is often positioned as essentialist, creating the groundwork for criticisms about the resolution of crises as a universal aspect of identity development towards a unified and coherent Self. These critiques represent an oversimplification of Erikson's theory and overlook the centrality of the co-development of the individual and society within his theory of identity development. To justify this claim, we examine Erikson's concepts of ego identity (1959, 1968), and demonstrate overlap with Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain's `figured worlds' framework (1998). The purpose of these comparisons is to problematize essentialist critiques of Erikson and create a dialogic space for socio-cultural researchers to consider Erikson's psychosocial theory of identity formation when exploring relationships between identity, agency, power and cultural worlds of practice.