Erik Erikson Father of the Psycho-social Theory

Erik’s Biography Erik Abrahamson was born near Frankfurt, Germany in 1902 His father left his mother, Karla Abrahamson, before Erik was born She married Dr. Theodor Homberger in 1905 The family lived in Karlsruhe, Germany

Erik’s passion was art, and he travelled around Europe as an artist He trained as a Montessori teacher While living in Vienna, Austria, he married a Canadian dance teacher, Joan Serson

Erik’s own life experiences may have contributed to his need to establish his own identity He had grown up in Germany, as a Jewish boy who looked Nordic Erik did not know until years later that Dr. Homberger was not his biological father

With the rise of Nazism, Erik and his wife left Vienna and moved first to Copenhagen, Denmark, and then on to the United States When Erik became an American citizen, he changed his name from Erik Abrahamson Homberger to Erik Erikson (In Nordic tradition, a child is named after himself, and NOT his father)

Erikson taught at Harvard Medical School, Yale University, and University of California at Berkley, and had a practice as a child psychoanalyst He retired from teaching in 1970 At the age of 92, he passed away