Sigmund Freud. Stages of Psychosexual Development

Transcription

1 Sigmund Freud Stages of Psychosexual Development

2 An Overview most well known theorist when it comes to personality development his theory is referred to as the Psychosexual Development like other stage theories, completion in the predetermined sequence can result in either successful completion or a healthy personality or can result in failure, leading to an unhealthy personality

3 An Overview Defined how human personality develops from our birth to and including early adulthood Freud believed that children experience unconscious sexual fixations as they grow older These sexual urges change drastically after each stage Without a proper resolution following each stage, we may experience faults in our future personalities

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5 An Overview most controversial theory Freud believed that we develop through stages based on a particular erogenous zone during each stage, an unsuccessful completion means that a child becomes fixated on that particular erogenous zone and either over or under indulges once he or she becomes an adult

6 Stage 1: Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months)

7 Stage 1: Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months) The mouth is the infant s primary erogenous zone, meaning that the oral cavity is where liberal energy is most focused Gains pleasure through sucking and eating; the child ultimately develops a sense of comfort through oral stimulation The child eventually must become less dependent on caretakers as it grows In theory, an infant who is neglected (under-fed) or overprotected (over-fed) may become orally fixed with the onset of adulthood

8 Stage 1: Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months) Fixation in this stage may result in issues with dependency and aggression This fixation can lead to issues with eating, drinking, smoking, and even obsessive habits like nail-biting If the child is not able to successfully resolve his or her sexual urges in the oral stage, then the child will not be able to move on to the next stage of psychosexual development, the Anal Stage

9 Stage 1: Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months) Personality wise, these individuals may become overly dependent on others, gullible and perpetual followers The other extreme is that they may also fight these urges and develop pessimism and aggression towards others

10 Stage 2: Anal Stage (18 months-3 years)

11 Stage 2: Anal Stage (18 months-3 years) The anal stage begins near the age of one, when the child is just beginning to toilet train The erogenous zone shifts form the oral cavity to the anal region with the realization that going to the bathroom is a pleasurable event Freud believed that the unconscious mind was going through a conflict during this time The id of our unconscious represents the part of our being that finds pleasure in expelling feces, while the ego and superego signify culture s pressure to resist succumbing to bodily functions

12 Stage 2: Anal Stage (18 months-3 years) Reoccurring theme: self-control Two things can go wrong in this stage - too much control or too little control. Both lead to anal fixation If parents exhibit either of these extreme during toilet training, then a child may grow up to be anally expulsive or anally retentive anally expulsive - limited levels of self-control, defiance, hostility, are disorganized/ scatterbrained anally retentive - rigid, obsessively organized, and overly subservient to authority

13 Stage 3: Phallic Stage (3 years-6 years)

14 Stage 3: Phallic Stage (3 years-6 years) The most intricate of the five stages. The erogenous zone shifts from the anus to the genitals Freud developed his theory form the male perspective (this, phallic = penis) Males have the potential to develop an Oedipal Complex, while females can develop an Electra Complex Oedipus Complex: males are sexually intrigued by their mothers and jealous of their father s intrusion

15 Stage 3: Phallic Stage (3 years-6 years) Castration anxiety may develop as the boy understands that his mother does not have a penis; the child will repress his love for his mother and attempt to become like his father, thus developing a superego Electra Complex: girls begin to become attracted to their fathers, and fall into a penis envy period (in contrast to castration anxiety) Failure to resolve either of the complexes can lead to fixation in this stage Phallic character - recklessness, resoluteness, selfassuredness, and narcissism

16 Stage 3: Phallic Stage (3 years-6 years) Unresolved incestuous complexes can lead to a difficult in dealing with authority figures and a tendency to have trouble with loving relationships Boys and girls eventually decide to identify with the same sex parent due to the strong competition against the same sex parent A fixation at this stage could result in sexual deviancies (both overindulging and avoidance) and weak or confused sexual identity according to psychoanalysts

17 Stage 3: Phallic Stage (3 years-6 years) Some believe that children who develop in singleparent or abusive households never move past the Phallic Stage, leading to daddy issues, etc. Freud also believed that fixation in this stage sometimes resulted in homosexuality due to the child s inability to identify properly with a rival parent (gender identity problems) If the Phallic Stage is resolved properly by the ego, the child will them move into the Latency Stage, which is the most peaceful interval in a person s psychosexual development

18 Stage 4: Latency Stage (6 years-puberty)

19 Stage 4: Latency Stage (6 years-puberty) Not necessarily a stage in psychosexual development; is more of transitioning period between the Phallic and Genital Stages Sexual drive is dormant (sleeping) during this time Children in this stage repress their sexual desires to focus on areas like academics and athletics, etc. Same-sex friendships develop during this time as well (not to be confused with homosexual relationships; children associate with those of the same-sex) The Latency Stage is vital to a person s exploration of academic pursuits and subjects that are not sexually oriented; however, this perspective soon changes radically

20 Stage 5: Genital Stage (puberty-death)

21 Stage 5: Genital Stage (puberty-death) Following the Latency Stage, the child s sexual urges are aroused once more; this time, the erogenous zone shifts to the genitals This stage is inversely related to the other psychosexual stages, meaning that less exposure in the other stages will result in higher levels of sexual expression in the Genital Stage For example, if a child were to focus on the Phallic Stage, then he would establish Oedipal defense mechanisms and would not move into the Latency Stage properly (and then on to the Genital Stage)

22 Stage 5: Genital Stage (puberty-death) Improper transitioning into the Genital Stage may result in failure to form heterosexual relationships in the future Through the lessons learned during the previous stages, adolescents direct their sexual urges onto opposite sex peers, with the primary focus of pleasure is the genitals

23 Conclusion According to Freud, proper movements through each of the five psychosexual stages shouldn t result in any consequences However, conflicts in specific psychosexual stages can impact the life of an individual drastically Furthermore, the shifting of the erogenous zones from stage to stage represents a child s maturation and development Freud thought that these stages symbolized our desires and conflicts within our unconscious minds However, not many psychologists still recognize his work (including these stages) as valid because of a lack of evidence or proper research