Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development

Freud believed that all behaviors are defensive but that not everyone uses the same defenses in the same way. All of us are driven by the same id impulses, but there is not the same universality in the nature of the ego and superego. Freud sensed strong sexual conflict in the infant and young child, conflict that seemed to revolve specific region of the body. He noted that each body region assumed a greater importance as the center of conflict at a different age. Each of these stages is defined by an erogenous zone of the body. In each developmental stage a conflict exists that must be resolved before the infant or child can progress to the next stage. The Oral Stages (Birth – 1 year) The Oral Stage lasts from birth until some time in the second year of life. This stage is where the infant’s principal source of pleasure is the mouth. Since the infant is in the primary care of the mother, the infant loves the mother and is satisfied. The Anal stage: (1-3 years) The anal stage begins about the age of 18 months, when a new demand, toilet training is involved. Defecation, Freud believed; produces erotic pleasure for the child, but with the onset of toilet training the infant has to delay this pleasurable act. The Phallic Stage: 4-5 years In the fourth or fifth year, the phallic stage begins. The focus shifts from the anus to the genitals, where the child again has to control their impulse in manipulating their genitals. The Oedipus complex is used by Freud to describe a boy or girl who desires to have sexual relations with their opposite sex parent. The boy or girl sees the same sex parent as a rival for their affections, so they may become hostile or jealous of the parents’ love relationship. A girl would develop penis envy, because she believes she may have lost her penis. In castration anxiety, a boy would be afraid of losing his penis if the father was to discover the boy’s love for his mother. The Latency period: 5 years- puberty The latency period lasts for five or six years where the sex extinct is dormant. The latency period is not a psychosexual stage of development. The sex instinct is dormant, temporarily sublimated in school activities, hobbies and sports and in developing friendships with members of the same sex. The Genital Stage: puberty- adolescence- adulthood The final stage is the genital stage, which begins at puberty. In this stage, the adolescent must conform to social sanctions and taboos that exist concerning sexual expression, but conflict is minimized through sublimation.