Question

the nurse is reviewing the psychiatrists notes on a patient with schizophrenia. the therapy notes state the patient failed to learn to trust his family as an infant, leading to antisocial behaviors now. this patients disorder is best explained by which developmental theorist?

erikson
freud
meyer
sullivan

Explanation:

Identify the core developmental conflict

The scenario describes a failure to learn to trust family during infancy, which corresponds directly to Erik Erikson's first psychosocial stage of development: Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy, birth to 18 months).

Evaluate the options against the conflict

• Erikson's theory focuses on psychosocial development, where the infancy stage centers on developing a sense of trust in caregivers and the environment.
• Freud's psychosexual theory focuses on the oral stage during infancy, centering on pleasure and gratification through the mouth.
• Meyer's psychobiological approach emphasizes the integration of biological, psychological, and social factors throughout life.
• Sullivan's interpersonal theory emphasizes interpersonal relationships, with infancy focusing on the oral zone and security through contact with the mother.

Determine the best-fitting theorist

Erikson is the theorist whose framework explicitly attributes adult behavioral outcomes to the successful or unsuccessful resolution of the "trust vs. mistrust" crisis during infancy.

Answer:

• (A) Erikson (Correct answer)
• (B) Freud
• (C) Meyer
• (D) Sullivan