1.1
In what way does the African perspective on human development differ from Erikson’s
psychosocial theory?
(4)
1.2
How does spirituality and belief in the invisible world influence socialisation and identity
formation in African societies?
(4)
1.3
According to collectivism, a person...
1.1 In what way does the African perspective on human development differ from Erikson’s
psychosocial theory? (4)
Erikson’s theory describes stages in terms of age associated with some psycho-social
problems, the results of the investigation revealed that among Africans, developmental stages
are described in terms of Sipho’s readiness, and that no indication of the presence of psycho-
social problems was found. This, it would seem, does not necessarily mean that traditional
African children do not experience psychological problems. Instead, it suggests that there are
other methods of dealing with these psychological problems, which this study did not reveal.
This raises the need to explore the developmental stages and their psychological effects among
African children by using a larger sample than the one used in this study. Another distinction is
that the definition of various stages is based on cultural values.
While Erikson emphasizes the importance of concepts such as competition, independence and
egoism, Africans tend to put more emphasis on cooperation, inter-dependence and altruism
respectively. Lastly, among Africans, each stage is characterized by rituals and ceremonies.
These are meant to mark the beginning or the end of a particular stage or phase, thereby
psychologically preparing the individual to adjust to the new position. Eriksons stages of
development seem to have ignored the importance of rituals in the various developmental
stages
1.2 How does spirituality and belief in the invisible world influence socialisation and identity
formation in African societies? (4)
Spirituality is related to what a person believes and the religion he or she follows. Children
mostly accept their parents’ religion but adolescents begin to take responsibility for their own
belief system or religion.
Children grow up with the religious beliefs of their parents. Once adolescents are capable of
abstract thought, they start forming belief systems and commitments to ideals. As they search
for identity, they seek a more personal relationship with a god (Papalia & Feldman 2012).
Erickson's ideas on identity can be applied to understand the increasing interest in religion
during adolescence.
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