Critique Of Sigmund Freud's Psychoosexual Development Theory

In 1905 Freud proposed that psychological development in childhood takes place in a series of fixed stages. These stages were dived into 5 parts; Freud said personality will be developed by the time one is a teenager. They are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of libido known as sexual drives or instincts on a different area of the body. Fixation is part of our sexuality left behind at an earlier sage of psychosexual development.

Freud’s theory of personality examined the interplay between the primitive, instinctual urges—the ‘id’; the practical and rational ‘ego’; and the morally attuned ‘superego’; ‘object relations’ refer to the "object" of an instinct”, which is “the agent through which the instinctual aim is achieved”—most often a person and, according to Freud, most often the mother (Ainsworth 1969, p. 1). The psychosexual development theory that Freud launched reduces our behaviour to mechanistic responses to an instinctive need for pleasure fueled by the ‘libido’ and barriers or distortions to the gratification of the libido at various delineated stages of development were responsible for later problems in life (Kail & Zolner 2012, p. 5). Erik Erikson later added depth to the approach by including more humanistic elements to Freud’s stages and including more periods of development (p.

What is one theory that influenced the development of the approach and how the theory helps describe behaviors

Psychosocial development throughout the Life Cycle theory (sometimes known as individual development theory) proposes that each individual has the ability to master their environment at all stages of life (Coady & Lehman, 2008; Hutchison, 2008). The theory had its

Another stage in human growth and development is called the phallic stage. Sigmund Freud believed this stage took place from the age of three to six years old. This is the stage that children become more aware of the sexual regions of their bodies. Not only do they become more self aware but also start to notice their parents and kids around them. This helps them learn the difference in “boy” or “girl” male or female. During this stage it is not uncommon for a child to hook them self onto the parent of opposite sex and start a rivalry with the parent of the same sex (Garcia, 1995). “Individuals who show higher levels in phallic stage of psychosexual development fixation are more likely to develop sexually” (“ Sexual Compulsivity, Promiscuity and Phallic Stage of Psychosexual Development Fixation. ,” 2012, para. 3).

Even though Freud had been discredited for his work because theorists believe his work unrealistic, I understand his way of thinking and believe he was correct about the way the brain is sectioned in to 3 different parts. From having a young baby and understanding the demands and how they act to working with children throughout the foundation phase I can see the developmental stages of the personality.

Freud was in his day an answer to many of society’s questions. As evolved and as the sciences evolved, we learned much more about Freud and his theories. Most of his work has been criticized most of the time. The criticisms of Freud and his theories have increased since

The Freud problem as talked about in “Psychology is Alive and Well”, is the dilemma that people who do not study psychology immediately think of Freud as the face of psychology. Albeit, Freud was not even a psychologist and he is discredited today because of the many fallacies in his theories and studies. Psychology is not about inane research on penis envy or the like. Since Freud’s day, psychology has developed greatly. More recent, viable, experiments have been conducted by psychologists such as Maslow, Pavlov, Bandura, and other psychologists who deserve recognition by others outside the field of psychology. Knowledge of this information would allow psychology to be viewed as a broader and more elaborate study.

Freud mostly based his theory from his therapy sessions with his adult patients consisting of many with various psychosomatic disorders. According to Freud’s theory these patients were experiencing physical symptoms because there was a psychosexual stage which they had not fully fulfilled. “He believed that our most basic instinct is to derive pleasure by giving in to our innate aggressive and sexual impulses.” (Mossler, 2011 section 1.5)

‘Evaluate the extent to which Freud’s theory of psychosexual development can help us to understand a client’s presenting issue?’

Sigmund Freud created strong theories in science and medicine that are still studied today. Freud was a neurologist who proposed many distinctive theories in psychiatry, all based upon the method of psychoanalysis. Some of his key concepts include the ego/superego/id, free association, trauma/fantasy, dream interpretation, and jokes and the unconscious. “Freud remained a determinist throughout his life, believing that all vital phenomena, including psychological phenomena like thoughts, feelings and phantasies, are rigidly determined by the principle of cause and effect” (Storr, 1989, p. 2). Through the discussion of those central concepts, Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis becomes clear as to how he construed human character.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is responsible for developing the Psychoanalytic Theoretical Perspective; Freud argued that our early life experiences are essentially the base to our subconscious mind and in turn heavily influence our current behavior. Freud believed that people could be treated and healed by articulating their dreams and childhood memories allowing an individual to gain insight into these unconscious thoughts and ultimately motivate them to resolve the repressed conflicts within. This technique was developed into a therapy used today known as Psychoanalysis, similar to hypnosis, it was founded in 1896 (“Freud's Psychoanalytic Theories.”). Just like any other psychological theory, there are many interesting concepts to Freud's Psychoanalytic Theoretical Perspective. The theory says that your personality is determined by the manner in which your behaviors have been depicted to the unconscious mind, this theory tells us that our behavior is completely

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), was an influential Austrian psychologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud went on to produce several theories, such as his theory on psychosexual development, which will be the focus of this assignment. Using the case study of a six-year-old patient, I will discuss the key principles of Freud’s theory on psychosexual development. Including, comprehensive definitions of the concepts used, and the stages of Freud’s psychosexual development. Lastly using Freud’s theory, I will explain how the patient’s current behaviour, could impact her behaviour in adulthood.

This theory focused on how children socialize and how they develop their sense of self. This happens in eight distinct stages. I will only be discussing the ones that occur from birth to puberty. Each developmental stage has two possible outcomes. According to the theory, successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and successful interactions with others. Failure to successfully complete a stage can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages and therefore a more unhealthy personality and sense of self. These stages, however, can be resolved successfully at a later time.

Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler are well-known and respected men in the world of psychology. Both their theories involved the study of the human mind. Freud believed that much of the human instinct was sexually based and that many problems they suffered were due to this instinct. Freud concluded that his patients' memories reached back to childhood and that many of the repressed experiences they recalled concerned sexual issues. Adler believed there was more to the individual but also knew that biology had an influence. He also believed that one’s birth order and socially affected the development of the human personality.