Many different things happen during the first two years of one’s life. Different theorists have attempted to conceptualize this, including Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson. The former believed that one went through an oral phase, in which the libido was placed on the mouth, making it a preferred erogenous zone. On the other hand, according to Erik Erikson, this is a time in one’s life that is characterized by a tension between trust and mistrust, especially of the parental figures (258). As a whole, they demonstrate the struggles between the independent person and his or her surroundings.
These psychoanalytic theories are significant because they attempt to study one of the most complicated times in one’s life, when one cannot even talk. They are the formative years, yet it is impossible to ask an infant of this age for direct experience. It is important to me because I know that this stage of a person’s life is important, even though many people do not take it into account. Furthermore, they establish some of the most important coordinates in western philosophy and lifestyle, explaining the relationship with one’s surroundings through observations of when one was a child.
I think the greatest application for my personal life will be to help in raising children. Obviously, I will use this to better form my own kids, but I may be able to help others, as well. By taking the importance of these moments into account, I will be able to enhance the quality of life not just of my own children, but those of others as well. I know that children need to be looked out for when they are young, as they completely depend on adults. They must also be cared for, so that they do not stick toxic or dangerous items into their mouth.
Hawaii is a very particular case, as it has only been a part of the United States of America for a relatively short time. This, along with its separation from the continental territory, has allowed it to maintain a certain difference with respect to the traditional American Way of Life. In this sense, gender differences are much more tolerated on the group of islands, which may be due to the trust that the children gained from their childhood. As they had better relationships with their parents in the beginning of their lives, they can also be more tolerant towards each other in the real life.
There is no hegemonic ethnicity in this state, and people probably learnt to tolerate their differences in a much more loving manner. They still have their own culture, even though the American Way of Life has been constantly invading them. Social behavior is much more important in Hawaii, as they do not think of themselves as individuals, but as part of a larger group. In order to do this, they must trust each other, something that one can see as people walk at night. As they feel a part of a big neighborhood, and due to their childhood experiences, they trust each other more than many other places in the same country.
Works Cited
Erikson, Erik H. (1950). Eight ages of man. In Childhood and society, 247-274. New York: W.W. Norton.
