Navigating Identity Without Parental Anchors: A Qualitative Exploration of Psychosocial Development Among Indian Orphans Through Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Children raised in Indian institutional care grow up without the stable caregiving relationships Erikson’s psychosocial theory presupposes. This qualitative study examined how fifteen orphaned Indian adults (nine women, six men; ages 16 to 30) narrated their progression through Erikson’s eight stages, using narrative inquiry and Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Findings revealed developmental disruption at every stage alongside persistent adaptive strategies including covert self-soothing, peer solidarity, and chosen family construction. Erikson’s model retains value for institutionalised populations when integrated with attachment theory, ecological systems theory, and culturally grounded accounts of Indian selfhood.