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Identity's Architect: A Biography of Erik H. Erikson

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I had been introduced to the theories of Erik H. Erikson in a grad. course in Educational Psychology. The course introduced just enough of Erikson to whet my appetite to learn more about the man; I am glad I did because after reading this book, I feel I have gained a richer understanding of his 8 Stage Life Cycle Theory, and the concept of Identity.

Professor Friedman's book is compassionate, but not fawning. He gives as complete a picture of a very complex man; as complete as one would hope to have, and he does so in a non-judgemental way.

There are many unattractive aspects of Erikson the man; why did this sensitive man, this lover of children who was estranged from his own step-father, virtually disown his own son, who had Down's Syndrome, and have him institutionalized? What made him so ambivalent about his Jewish identity? Friedman explores these issues in a very thorough, yet compassionate way. Erikson himself had a difficult time reconciling the dark side of Gandi while writing his biography; lovers of Erikson, like myself, may have that same struggle while reading this book, but Mr. Friedman does a superb job of bringing out, and sythesizing the "dark Erik" with the Erikson whose works have inspired many a generation of people like myself who are advocates for the welfare of children.

I read this book first before reading "Childhood and Society" and "Identity Youth and Crisis" and I am glad I did, for Eriksons paradigm was born from his own identity crisis he suffered, which Friedman does a masterful job of portraying.

If you really want to understand Erikson's Works, read this book first. You too will be glad you did.

Lawrence Friedman's biography of Erik Erikson is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand how ideas and books about childhood development became a part of our modern-day vocabulary and a regular feature on bestseller lists. Easily accessible to a wide audience, he shows how Erikson's language and ideas have influenced how psychologists, therapists, teachers, politicians and others view the problems of youth today. Friedman also shows how Erikson's groundbreaking work on psychological development was intimately linked to his personal life. Identity's Architect is a great book which should interest parents, teachers, scholars, and activists of all ideological persuasions.

All too often when reading a biography, the author fails to ask the questions that often spring to my mind. Most of these questions are about about the subjects motivation...the why questions. Lawrence Friedman dares to try and answer the hard and complex questions about a life, in this case, Erik Erikson's life. Even if Erikson is only a vaguely familiar name, this biography is worth reading because its a study of a very human life. In addition to being a well-written life study, Identity's Architect helps us to ask the difficult question about the origins of our own identity. In tracing the reoccuring themes in Erikson's life, Friedman makes transparent the very human activity of identity construction. We know none of us springs whole from Zeus'head, but we rarely question how we came to be the individuals we are. In asking the questions of Erikson's life, Friedman challenges us to question the construction of our own identities.

This work is an excellent example of scholarly rigor and narrative skill. Friedman has given us a wonderfully detailed account of Erikson's life and work in the context of post W.W.II American culture. He offers compassionate but critical insight into Erik Erikson's personal and professional story. From Friedman we learn how important Erikson is to American intellectual history and to the shaping of our collective identity. A great read.

For many these days, the name, Erik Erikson, may seem a distant memory. Yet unbeknownst to many of us, we often rely upon Erikson's insights into stages of development, the life cycle, and identity crisis for a just a glimpse or understanding of who we are and where we are heading in life.

In this penetrating biography of Erik Erikson, Lawrence Friedman sucessfully explores the inner conflicts and struggles of Erikson's own identity issues for insights into Erikson and his theories. What emerges from Friedman's book is the sense that both Erikson's legacy and insights are vital to our own struggles to know ourselves. In this reviewer's humble opinion, Friedman brilliantly shows how Erikson's relevance and impact today is no less than it was decades ago.

A jewel of biography!

This is a superb biography of one of the most influential psychoanalytic theorists of the American postwar period. Erikson's writings profoundly influenced not only clinical psychological work, but also the general tenor of social and cultural thinking in this country. Yet his insights were not immediately embraced, and his personal life was not without turmoil and profound heartache. Lawrence Friedman has done a wonderful job of presenting a fully dimensioned, meticulously researched and empathic portrait of this remarkable clinician and thinker who, perhaps more than any other individual writer, shaped the way that we think about ourselves and our society.