Where are Erik Erikson's stages of psychological development evident in the novel?
According to the famous psychologist, Erik Erikson, there are multiple stages that everyone faces in life, and "each stage of life has its own psychosocial task, a crisis that needs resolution" (Myers). If one overcomes the crisis; they successfully move onto the next stage. If they are unable to successfully complete the stage they still move onto the next stage, but they may now have trouble successfully completing the next stages. Erikson did believe that people could conquer these unresolved issues at later times however, if they were unable to complete the stage during the proper time period.
In the novel, Amir goes through three of the major stages of this development model. The first stage is industry versus inferiority. This typically occurs for people form the age of six to puberty. During this stage, one struggles to show their competence and achievement, which if done, leads to industry. On the other hand, incompetence and nonproductively leads to a feeling of inferiority. Those who are commended by elders during this stage usually gain self esteem, while those who receive little or no encouragement from elders will tend to wonder if they are capable of being successful. According to Erikson, this stage plays a very important in determining ones level of self-confidence in the future. When it comes to Amir, he received little encouragement from Baba throughout his life. In fact, Amir was often discouraged from doing what he loved such as reading poetry and writing. That is what led Amir to try to please Baba by participating in other activities that Baba approved of, such as play soccer, but he never seemed to fit into those roles. Even during the kite flying contest, Amir was obsessed with gaining Baba's approval and kept "stealing glances at Baba sitting with Rahim Khan on the roof, wondered what he was thinking. Was he cheering for me? Or did part of him enjoy watching me fail?" (Hosseini 63). Baba's lack of encouragement led to Amir's low self esteem. Despite his low levels of self esteem as a child, Amir finally gains some self confidence when he complete this stage later in the novel, specifically during his graduation ceremony when Baba finally praises Amir for his hard work. At the ceremony Baba tells Amir "I am moftakhir, Amir" that he is proud of him (Hosseini 131).
When Amir is in America, he faces a stage called identity versus role confusion. This stage typically occurs during ones teenage years to their twenties. During this stage, people are trying to define their personality and identity. People that successfully complete this stage end up gaining a positive self image, while those who fail either do not really figure out who they are or they gain a negative self image. When Amir tells Baba that he wants to major in English, Baba automatically dismisses the idea by saying things like "How will you earn money? If you marry, how will you support your khanum?" (Hosseini 134). Erikson recognized that during this stage, "some adolescents forge their identity early, simply by adopting their parents' values and expectation," and Amir was guilty of this as a child, but by this point in his life he has learned from his mistakes and decided to maintain his true identity (Myers). Rather than giving in, Amir decides "I would stand my ground... I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore" (Hosseini 135). He figures out that he wants to study literature, that is simply who he is, and he does not let Baba stop him from defining his identity. Amir is able "to synthesize past, present, and future possibilities into a clearer sense of self," which Erikson claimed is an important part of defining ones identify (Myers).
The final stage noticed with Amir is the intimacy versus isolation stage, which generally occurs from ones twenties to their forties. During this stage, one tries to find someone to share their thoughts and life with. During this stage successful people find a trustworthy companion, while unsuccessful people either fail to establish commitments or fail to keep the commitments that they establish. Amir successfully completes this stage when he marries Soraya. He is able to accept her despite her mistakes, because he has gone through a similar situation. Just as Soraya regrets running away from home earlier in her life, Amir regrets not standing up for Hassan earlier in his life. He knows what it is like to wish to undo the past and regret mistakes, which allows him to better connect with her. By the end of the novel, Amir has successfully completed all three stages of psychological development that he faces throughout the course of the story.
In the novel, Amir goes through three of the major stages of this development model. The first stage is industry versus inferiority. This typically occurs for people form the age of six to puberty. During this stage, one struggles to show their competence and achievement, which if done, leads to industry. On the other hand, incompetence and nonproductively leads to a feeling of inferiority. Those who are commended by elders during this stage usually gain self esteem, while those who receive little or no encouragement from elders will tend to wonder if they are capable of being successful. According to Erikson, this stage plays a very important in determining ones level of self-confidence in the future. When it comes to Amir, he received little encouragement from Baba throughout his life. In fact, Amir was often discouraged from doing what he loved such as reading poetry and writing. That is what led Amir to try to please Baba by participating in other activities that Baba approved of, such as play soccer, but he never seemed to fit into those roles. Even during the kite flying contest, Amir was obsessed with gaining Baba's approval and kept "stealing glances at Baba sitting with Rahim Khan on the roof, wondered what he was thinking. Was he cheering for me? Or did part of him enjoy watching me fail?" (Hosseini 63). Baba's lack of encouragement led to Amir's low self esteem. Despite his low levels of self esteem as a child, Amir finally gains some self confidence when he complete this stage later in the novel, specifically during his graduation ceremony when Baba finally praises Amir for his hard work. At the ceremony Baba tells Amir "I am moftakhir, Amir" that he is proud of him (Hosseini 131).
When Amir is in America, he faces a stage called identity versus role confusion. This stage typically occurs during ones teenage years to their twenties. During this stage, people are trying to define their personality and identity. People that successfully complete this stage end up gaining a positive self image, while those who fail either do not really figure out who they are or they gain a negative self image. When Amir tells Baba that he wants to major in English, Baba automatically dismisses the idea by saying things like "How will you earn money? If you marry, how will you support your khanum?" (Hosseini 134). Erikson recognized that during this stage, "some adolescents forge their identity early, simply by adopting their parents' values and expectation," and Amir was guilty of this as a child, but by this point in his life he has learned from his mistakes and decided to maintain his true identity (Myers). Rather than giving in, Amir decides "I would stand my ground... I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore" (Hosseini 135). He figures out that he wants to study literature, that is simply who he is, and he does not let Baba stop him from defining his identity. Amir is able "to synthesize past, present, and future possibilities into a clearer sense of self," which Erikson claimed is an important part of defining ones identify (Myers).
The final stage noticed with Amir is the intimacy versus isolation stage, which generally occurs from ones twenties to their forties. During this stage, one tries to find someone to share their thoughts and life with. During this stage successful people find a trustworthy companion, while unsuccessful people either fail to establish commitments or fail to keep the commitments that they establish. Amir successfully completes this stage when he marries Soraya. He is able to accept her despite her mistakes, because he has gone through a similar situation. Just as Soraya regrets running away from home earlier in her life, Amir regrets not standing up for Hassan earlier in his life. He knows what it is like to wish to undo the past and regret mistakes, which allows him to better connect with her. By the end of the novel, Amir has successfully completed all three stages of psychological development that he faces throughout the course of the story.