In Erik Erikson's magnum opus Childhood and Society he presents his theory about childhood development. He asserts his confirmation or denial of Freud's main points regarding childhood development, but he focuses more on the formation of the ego than the bodily fixations of Freud's emphasis. Erikson offers a model of eight stages, a ninth being added by his wife, in which humans progress from infants to old age. In support of his theories, Erikson includes a chapter about his field research of two Native American tribes. He observes the mental growth of several children among the tribes, profiling each for some years.
Critics tend to favor Erikson. Unlike Freud, who has often been considered irrational for his fixation theories, Erikson is credited for recognizing the stages of development which humans do undergo. He is widely accepted as the founder of the study of childhood psychology. There is some argument, however, that he became too specific in applying his theory. For instance, most critics agree that Erikson inappropriately concluded that humans only face certain questions in each specific stage and at no other time. Actually they posit that people probably face each of the eight stages through at each crisis point in life, so the system is cyclical instead of linear.
Erikson is considered credible because of his inclusion of other people's theories within his work. When he was developing his theories, he turned to his forefathers in psychoanalysis' writing and to living resources such as Anna Freud for help. He addresses nearly point for point his predecessor, Freud's, ideas, which establishes him as thoroughly educated in his field of study. Additionally, he demonstrates a consistent concern for providing evidence throughout the book, which leads him to conduct his research among the Native American tribes.
