Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson are two of the most influential psychoanalysts of human development

Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson are two of the most influential psychoanalysts of human development. Both theorists contributed to the field of psychoanalysis and psychology by separating development into stages of a person’s life and utilizing similar age divisions for each developmental stage. Freud’s work includes 5 psychosexual stages. Erikson’s work was influenced by Freud and consists of 8 psychosocial stages. Freud’s and Erikson’s theories both recognize the importance of the unconscious on development. Each theory is comprised of similarities as well as difference in each developmental stage.
Sigmund Freud believed that development is influenced by basic needs and biological forces. In contrast, Erikson believed that human development is shaped by social and environmental factors. This difference in theories causes major differences in how human development is viewed by each theorist. While Freud’s stages of development are focused in childhood, Erikson’s theory has stages begins at childhood and continues throughout life.