Erik H. Erikson is recognized as one of the worlds leading figures in the field of psychoanalysis and human development. His ideas about the stages of development, the sources of identity, and the interdependence of individual growth and historical change revolutionized our understanding of the nature and course of psychological growth. Erikson, whose work first described the now familiar concepts of identity crisis and life cycle, provided an unprecedented framework for considering the individual psyche within society and culture. Unveiling a dynamic process of psychological development, he emphasized the tendency toward growth and the integration of multiple influencesthe biological, social, psychological, cultural, and historical. With writings from Eriksons entire career, including major work from This volume, ably assembled and introduced by Robert Coles, presents the Essential Erikson. Howard Gardner