L2 - Theories of Development (Freud) Flashcards

Flashcards covering the theories of development, focusing on Freud's Psychosexual Theory.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that incorporates laws, hypotheses, and facts.

Characteristics of a Good Theory

Theories should be testable through research, replicable with similar results, simple with relevant information, and consistent with other theories.

Psychoanalytic Theories

Theories that describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily influenced by emotion, emphasizing early experiences with parents.

Sigmund Freud

One of the most influential scientists in psychology and psychiatry, known for his controversial ideas about personality and the mind.

Freud's core belief

Problems are the result of experiences early in life and that as children grow up, their focus of pleasure and sexual impulses shifts from the mouth to the anus and eventually to the genitals.

Five stages of psychosexual development

Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

Fixation

Continued attachment to an old psychosexual stage, resulting in problematic behavior patterns if the conflict is unresolved.

Erogenous Zone

An area of the body that is particularly sensitive to stimulation.

Oral Stage

Birth to 1 1/2 years; Libido is focused on the mouth as a source of pleasure.

Anal Stage

1 1/2 to 3 years; Libido is focused on the anus, and toilet training creates conflicts.

Phallic Stage

3 to 6 years; Libido centers on the genitals, and the Oedipus or Electra complex occurs.

Latency Stage

6 years to puberty; Libido is quiet, and psychic energy is invested in schoolwork and same-sex friendships.

Genital Stage

Puberty onward; Sexual instincts reawaken as youths seek mature sexual relationships and reproduction.

Oedipal Complex

Occurs during the phallic stage where the boy sexually desires his mother and wishes to rid himself of the father due to competition for the mother's affection.

Electra Complex

The girl's realization that she has no penis, leading to penis envy and attraction to her father, forming her own version of the Oedipal complex.