Final answer:
Erik Erikson, a psychologist who focused on psychosocial development, proposed a theory that personality develops continuously across an individual's lifespan, highlighting social influences rather than Freud's emphasis on psychosexual stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychologist Erik Erikson specialized in the field of psychosocial development and is renowned for his theory on personality development across the lifespan.
Erik Erikson was a prominent figure in psychology who built upon the foundational work of Sigmund Freud. Unlike Freud, who emphasized psychosexual stages, Erikson focused on the psychosocial aspects of development. His theory was a pioneering shift from Freud's idea that personality was largely fixed in early life. Instead, Erikson proposed that personality development is a lifelong process, shaped by social interactions and experiences. He mapped out eight stages of human development, from birth to old age, each characterized by a specific conflict that individuals must resolve to develop a healthy personality. This emphasis on the social elements and stages, including factors such as trust, autonomy, and identity, marked a significant change from focusing solely on the biological drives that Freud suggested governed behavior and development. Erikson's work has been influential in understanding how individuals evolve and adapt within their society, which continues to impact the fields of psychology, counseling, and education today.