Mr. Henderson: Today we'll be discussing Erik Erikson and his psychosocial development theory. One of the key elements of Erikson's psychosocial stage theory is the development of the ego identity. Now, the ego identity, if you will, is the conscious sense of self that we all develop through social interaction. According to Eriksson, our ego identity is constantly changing through our daily interactions with others. He also believed that a personal sense of competence motivates our daily actions and behaviors. Each stage in his theory is concerned with becoming competent in an area of life. If the stage is handled well, the person will feel a sense of mastery also referred to as ego strength. If the stage is managed poorly, however the person will emerge with a sense of inadequacy.
