Back to the directoryFind in the timeline
Childhood and Society
Erik Erikson's 1950 book on the social significance of childhood, which a catalog description says combines clinical psychoanalysis with cultural anthropology.
- Author and origin
- Erik H. Erikson (United States)Original language: English. First published in 1950. Library catalogs also record a revised edition and a second edition, so page counts and front matter differ by printing. The original imprint line was not checked on a title page.
- Genre and form
- Academic (Scholarly monograph)Foundational scholarly monographs, experimental treatises, and theoretical volumes written for researchers and students.
- Pairing and evidence
- Primary scholarshipA foundational academic book or treatise. Each profile states what was inspected and whether a research paper is paired.
- Sources inspected
- 2 text/abstract inspected, 1 metadata checked (of 3)2 with the primary text or archive/edition record checked, 0 with an indexed abstract read, 1 with bibliographic metadata checked, 0 not verified.
The work and edition history
Erik Erikson’s 1950 book considers childhood in social and cultural settings. Catalogs distinguish later revised and second editions from the original volume.
Psychological reading
The catalog description presents an encounter between clinical psychoanalysis and cultural anthropology. Ask how a culture’s expectations of adults might relate to the way it raises children, and what evidence would be needed to turn a suggestive case into a general account of development.
Why it earns inclusion
The book sits where psychoanalysis meets the study of culture, which makes it a useful lens for coming-of-age stories and for chapters on lifespan development. It shows a psychologist asking about development in families and societies, not only in individual minds.
Academic pairing and claim scope
No journal article is paired. Pairing a specific study would require reading the chapters, and only catalog descriptions of the book were available.
Limits and controversies
The premise comes from catalog and secondary descriptions. No chapter was read, so this record does not describe the book's case material or any stage framework attributed to Erikson. The book is clinical and anthropological observation, not an experiment, and its claims about development would need to be checked against later research that this record does not review.
Evidence behind the claims
Open Library lists 1950 as the first publication year of Childhood and Society and names W. W. Norton among the publishers of its editions.
The Open Library description, which reads as back-cover copy, says the book combines clinical psychoanalysis with cultural anthropology to examine how childhood training relates to cultural achievement.
Wellcome Collection catalogs a revised edition of 397 pages (with a list of Erikson's writings since the first edition) and a second edition of 445 pages.
A secondary reference describes Childhood and Society as a 1950 book by psychoanalyst Erik H. Erikson about the social significance of childhood.
Authors and researchers
- Erik H. Erikson. Psychoanalyst; author of Childhood and Society.
In the Psy101 course
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 9.2: Lifespan TheoriesChapter 9, Lifespan Development. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects the book to chapter coverage of lifespan theories of development.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 11.3: Neo-Freudians: Adler, Erikson, Jung, and HorneyChapter 11, Personality. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Erikson is named in the title of this chapter section on neo-Freudian approaches to personality.
Educational reading guide only, not clinical diagnosis or treatment guidance. This course map indicates introductory curriculum relevance rather than clinical proof.See the full course map.
Sources and inspection
Of 3 cited sources, 2 had primary text or archive/edition records checked, 0 had an indexed abstract read, and 1 had bibliographic metadata checked (0 unverified). Literary works and memoirs are distinguished from empirical research studies.
- [3]Childhood and Society. (2026). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Childhood_and_Society&oldid=1362247582Consulted sourceReference work. Historical or biographical context.Bibliographic metadata or reference record checkedWikipedia summary extract read on 2026-10-23. It states the subject only. Secondary reference.
- [2]Erikson, E. H. (n.d.). Childhood and society (wellcome collection catalogue records). Wellcome Collection Library Catalogue. https://wellcomecollection.org/search/works?query=erikson+childhood+and+societyArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedWellcome catalog records read on 2026-10-23 through the catalog interface. The records give edition statements and page counts but no imprint or date.
- [1]Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society (open library work record). Open Library (Internet Archive). https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1194364WArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedOpen Library work record and search results read on 2026-10-23. catalog-level only; the description is promotional copy and no title page was inspected.