Freud: Psychosexual Development and Key Concepts

Flashcards covering Freud’s id and ego, the psychosexual development stages (oral not explicitly named in notes, but key stages mentioned include latency and genital), Oedipus complex, castration anxiety, identification with the father, and the psychoanalytic framework.

id

The primitive part of the personality; instincts and a pleasure-seeking drive; has no concept of reality and seeks immediate gratification.

ego

Develops to mediate between the id and reality; understands and navigates the real world.

psychosexual development

Freud's theory that personality develops through stages in childhood, each with a specific focus of sexual energy (erogenous zones).

Oedipus complex

A child’s unconscious sexual interest in the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent; resolution occurs via identification with the same-sex parent.

castration anxiety

Freud's idea of a boy’s fear during the phallic stage that the father will punish fantasies by punishing or removing the penis; resolved through identification with the father.

identification with the father

Process by which a child resolves the Oedipus complex by adopting the father’s characteristics, leading to identification with the same-sex parent.

latency stage

A middle period with no sexual erogenous zone; a moratorium between stages focused on education and social/identity development.

genital stage

The stage after puberty when sexuality becomes focused on mature, reciprocal relationships and lasting adult sexuality.

Freud's psychoanalytic theory

A framework for understanding personality development through unconscious drives and early childhood experiences.