dividual. This idea ofdiscontinuity suggests that development occurs via a series of abrupt changes thatdevelop from one stage to another. Presumably Erikson believes that an individualexperiences a rapid period of change and reorganisation before being elevated to a newand more advanced stage of development. Continuity theorists however, would arguethat human development is a process that occurs in small steps, without suddenchange. Physical growth and language development, for example, show smooth,gradual and continuous growth. But Erikson does not totally rule out this argument.He suggests that experiences in the early stages have a bearing on the experiences inthe later stages, this indicates that earlier and later development are connected in suchaway as to suggest continuity. Erikson also stresses the importance of environmentalinfluences which would place the emphasises on continuous development, however, healso highlights the influential role of maturation in the growth sequence (as highlightedearlier). This suggests that Erikson did not ally himself with either extreme point ofview. He recognised that some aspects of development are continuous, whereas othersshow stage-like characteristics. What Erikson has produced is a sequence of criticalperiods in the human life cycle. However, he did not imply that the crisis was by anymeans catastrophic, but that they represent crucial developments in which a decisiveturn, one way or another is unavoidable (Stevens 1983).Eriksons psychosocial model is very generalised and he himself acknowledgedthat no attempt was made to trace the differences in ego development between thesexes. Erikson justifies this decision by arguing that beyond childhood there are noconsistent differences between the development of men and women. It has also beensuggested that the model lacks rigour (Stevens 1983), as the behaviours andcomponents are not easy to specify precisely and they are often unclear. Some hav...
