Freud's Psychosexual Stages

Freud's Psychosexual Development

a series of stages in which the child's central motivation is to gratify sexual and aggressive drives in various erogenous zones of the body. Characteristics of adult personality result from ways in which these conflicts are resolved and these impulses are gratified.

Oral stage (0-1.5)

- pleasure centers on the mouth, typically thru feeding and sucking

- concerns are w/dependency and reliability of caregivers

- unreliable caregiver can result in child's mistrust and fear of abandonment

- fixation at this stage --> develop an oral personality: characterized by excessive dependence on others but mistrustful of their love; may see habits that focus on youth area--smoking, excessive drinking or eating

Anal Stage (1.5-3)

- pleasure centers on the anus; child interested in toilet activities, passing and retaining of feces

- concerns are w/control and order

- if parents are too harsh or critical during toilet training, child can become fixated --> develop anal personality: stubborn, over controlling, stingy, focused on orderliness and tidiness

Phallic Stage (3-6)

- pleasure centers on the genitals

- concerns are w/sexual feelings toward parents

- Oedipus conflict: boys sexually attracted to mothers and hate their fathers as rivals; boys fear fathers will retaliate by castrating them --> develop castration anxiety --> motivates boys to put aside desire for mother and aspire to be like father

- girls develop Electra complex: realize don't have a penis, are horrified that mom doesn't have one either --> disdain females for deficit --> develop penis envy, try to seduce father b/c he can provide a penis --> realize desire to have a penis futile so identify w/mom

- Successful resolution of phallic stage: boys identify w/fathers and girls identify w/mothers; unsuccessful resolution: failure to develop appropriate gender roles or healthy superego

- when this stage is navigated successfully, the superego develops

Latency Stage (6 - puberty)

- sexual desire diminishes and attention turns to development of talents and skills

- play w/same sex peers and avoid opposite sex peers

Genital Stage (puberty thru adulthood)

- concerns are w/maturation of adult sexual interests; sexual desires re-emerge

- if successfully resolved phallic stage, sexual interests turn to heterosexual relationships

- also see maturity in a broad sense: "loving and working," Freud's hallmarks of healthy functioning