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Freud Psychosexual Stages Theory

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Baljeet Malik
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14 views

Freud Psychosexual Stages Theory

Uploaded by

Baljeet Malik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Freud's Psychosexual Developmental Theory


Psychoanalytic theory originated with the work of Sigmund Freud. Through his
clinical work with patients suffering from mental illness, Freud came to believe
that childhood experiences and unconscious desires influenced behavior.
According to Freud, conflicts that occur during each of these stages can have a
lifelong influence on personality and behavior. Freud proposed one of the best-
known grand theories of child development.
According to Freud’s psychosexual theory, child development occurs in a series of
stages focused on different pleasure areas of the body. During each stage, the
child encounters conflicts that play a significant role in the course of
development.
LIBIDO
Libido is a term used in psychoanalytic theory to describe the energy created by
survival and sexual instincts. According to Sigmund Freud, the libido is part of the
id and is the driving force of all behavior. While the term "libido" has taken on an
overtly sexual meaning in today's world, to Freud, it represented all psychic
energy and not just sexual energy.

His theory suggested that the energy of the libido was focused on different
erogenous zones at specific stages. Failure to progress through a stage can result
in fixation at that point in development, which Freud believed could have an
influence on adult behavior.
So what happens as children complete each stage? And what might result if a
child does poorly during a particular point in development? Successfully
completing each stage leads to the development of a healthy adult personality.
Failing to resolve the conflicts of a particular stage can result in fixations that can
then have an influence on adult behavior.
While some other child development theories suggest that personality continues
to change and grow over the entire lifetime, Freud believed that it was early
experiences that played the greatest role in shaping development. According to
Freud, personality is largely set in stone by the age of five.
According to the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, children go through a
series of psychosexual stages that lead to the development of the adult
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personality. Freud's stages of human development, which consisted of five


psychosexual stages of development, described how personality developed over
the course of childhood.
Freud believed that personality developed through a series of childhood stages in
which the pleasure-seeking energies of the id become focused on certain
erogenous areas. An erogenous zone is characterized as an area of the body that
is particularly sensitive to stimulation.
During the five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latent, and
genital stages, the erogenous zone associated with each stage serves as a source
of pleasure.
Psychoanalytic theory suggested that personality is mostly established by the age
of five. Early experiences play a large role in personality development and
continue to influence behavior later in life.
The Oral Stage
Age Range: Birth to 1 Year
Erogenous Zone: Mouth
During the oral stage, the infant's primary source of interaction occurs through
the mouth, so the rooting and sucking reflex is especially important. The mouth is
vital for eating, and the infant derives pleasure from oral stimulation through
gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking.
The Anal Stage
Age Range: 1 to 3 years
Erogenous Zone: Bowel and Bladder Control
During the anal stage, Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on
controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this stage is
toilet training—the child has to learn to control their bodily needs. Developing
this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
The Phallic Stage
Age Range: 3 to 6 Years
Erogenous Zone: Genitals
Freud suggested that during the phallic stage, the primary focus of the libido is on
the genitals. At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between
males and females.
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The Latent Period


Age Range: 6 to Puberty
Erogenous Zone: Sexual Feelings Are Inactive
During this stage, the superego continues to develop while the id's energies are
suppressed. Children develop social skills, values, and relationships with peers
and adults outside of the family.
The development of the ego and superego contributes to this period of calm. The
stage begins around the time that children enter school and become more
concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other interests.
The Genital Stage
Age Range: Puberty to Death
Erogenous Zone: Maturing Sexual Interests
The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again. During the
final stage of psychosexual development, the individual develops a strong sexual
interest in the opposite sex. This stage begins during puberty but last throughout
the rest of a person's life.

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