Publisher's Synopsis
Erik Erikson is recognized as one of the world's leading figures in the field of pscyhoanalysis and human development. His ideas about the stages of development, the sources of identity, and the interdependence of individual growth and historical change have revised our understanding of the nature and course of psychological growth.;Erikson, whose work first described the now familiar concepts of "identity crisis" and "life cycle", provided a framework for regarding the workings of the individual psyche within society and culture. Unveiling a dynamic process of psychological development, he emphasized the tendancy toward growth and the integration of multiple influences: the biological, social, psychological, cultural and historical. Erikson's work is a critical bridge for exploring the psychology of the individual in modern society.;With writings from Erikson's entire career, inluding "Childhood and Society", "Insight and Responsibility", "Young Man Luther" and "Gandhi's Truth", this reader charts his influence on thinking on child psychology, the lifespan, leadership and moral growth.