fei75766_ch07_206-241.indd 207  02/06/20 11:52 AM
Chapter 7    Erikson: Post-Freudian Theory207
Asachild, ErikSalomonsen hadmany questions butfewanswers about hisbiolog -
icalfather. Heknew whohismother was—a beautiful Jewish Dane whose family 
triedhardtoappear Danish rather thanJewish. Butwhowashisfather?
Born intoasingle-parent family, theyoung boyheldthree separate beliefs 
regarding hisorigins. Atfirst,hebelieved thathismother’s husband, aphysician 
named Theodor Homburger, washisbiological father. However, asErikmatured, 
hebegan torealize thatthiswasincorrect because hisblond hairandblueeyesdid
notmatch thedarkfeatures ofeither parent. Hepressed hismother foranexplana -
tion,butsheliedtohimandsaidthatamannamed Valdemar Salomonsen—her first
husband—was hisbiological father andthatheabandoned heraftershebecame preg-
nantwithErik. However, Erikdidn’t quite believe thissecond story either because he
learned thatSalomonsen hadlefthismother 4years before Erikwasborn. Finally, 
Erikchose tobelieve thathewastheoutcome ofasexual liaison between hismother 
andanartistically gifted aristocratic Dane. Fornearly theremainder ofhislife,Erik
believed thisthird story. Nevertheless, hecontinued tosearch forhisownidentity 
while seeking thename ofhisbiological father.
During hisschool days, Erik’s Scandinavian features contributed tohisidentity 
confusion. When heattended temple, hisblueeyesandblond hairmade himappear 
tobeanoutsider. Atpublic school, hisAryan classmates referred tohimasaJew,so
Erikfeltoutofplace inbotharenas. Throughout hislife,hehaddifficulty accepting 
himself aseither aJeworaGentile.
When hismother died, Erik, then58years old,feared hewould never know the
identity ofhisbiological father. Buthepersevered inhissearch. Finally, more than30
years laterandashismind andbody began todeteriorate, Eriklostinterest inlearn -
inghisfather’s name. However, hecontinued toshow some identity confusion. For
example, hespoke mostly inGerman—the language ofhisyouth—and rarely spoke in
English, hisprimary language formore than60years. Inaddition, heretained along-
heldaffinity forDenmark andtheDanish people andtookperverted pride indisplay -
ingtheflagofDenmark, acountry inwhich henever lived.
Overview of Post-Freudian Theory
Theperson weintroduced intheopening vignette, ofcourse, wasErikErikson, the
person whocoined thetermidentity crisis. Erikson hadnocollege degree ofanykind, 
butthislackofformal training didnotprevent himfrom gaining world fame inan
impressive variety offields including psychoanalysis, anthropology, psychohistory, 
andeducation.
Unlike earlier psychodynamic theorists whosevered nearly alltiestoFreud -
ianpsychoanalysis, Erikson intended histheory ofpersonality toextend rather than
repudiate Freud’s assumptions andtooffer anew“way oflooking atthings” (Erikson, 
1963, p.403). Hispost-Freudian theory extended Freud’s infantile developmental 
stages intoadolescence, adulthood, andoldage.Erikson suggested thatateachstage 
aspecific psychosocial struggle contributes totheformation ofpersonality. From ado-
lescence on,thatstruggle takes theform ofanidentity crisis —aturning point inone’s 
lifethatmayeither strengthen orweaken personality.
Erikson regarded hispost-Freudian theory asanextension ofpsychoanalysis, 
something Freud might havedone intime. Although heusedFreudian theory astheFinal PDF to printer