Erikson, Erik H.

Age Periods of Erikson's Life

Erik was born on June 15, 1902, in Frankfurt, Germany, to Karla Abrahamsen, a Jewish native of Denmark. Erik's original last name, Salomonsen, came from his mother's first husband who had separated from her 4 years before Erik's birth. Erik's biological father was a non-Jewish Dane who had left Karla before Erik was born. Karla reared young Erik as a single parent for the first 3 years of his life. She then married Theodor Homburger, a prominent children's physician and president of the local synagogue, who adopted Erik and changed his surname to Homburger. Theodor posed as Erik's biological father, and Erik only discovered the truth as an adolescent. Further complicating his sense of identity confusion, Erik Homburger's appearance (tall, blue-eyed, and blond) was unusual within his Jewish community. As an adult, Erik moved to the United States and eventually changed his name again, this time to Erik H. Erikson, that is, Erik's son.

Moratorium Years and Montessori Influences

After graduating from the German equivalent of high school, Erikson entered a state art school in [Page 147]1921. Following a few years of formal art training, he lived a bohemian lifestyle as he wandered through Europe sketching, making woodcuts, painting, and visiting museums. After half a dozen years, he returned home, confused and exhausted.

In 1927, Erikson was interviewed for a job by Anna Freud, Sigmund Freud's daughter. Erikson began to teach art to children at the Hietzing School—an institution linked with Sigmund Freud and the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. At the same time he also earned a teaching degree from the local Montessori teacher-training school. Some of Erikson's initial insights in child psychology came from these experiences as he taught children of different ages, observed their play, and began to analyze their behavior.

Psychoanalytic and Psychosocial Training Years

The experience of being psychoanalyzed by Anna Freud, coupled with the encouragement of many peers, led Erikson to decide to become a child analyst. He studied with Vienna's senior psychoanalysts, including the aging Sigmund Freud, and graduated from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute in 1933. Though Erikson's later theories were often at odds with psychoanalytic theory, he felt indebted to the field and was always respectful of Sigmund Freud.

...