Freud Developmental Stages

Many people believe Freud engaged in sexual abuse of children as a part of his studies. His studies on the theories of personality are based upon five stages of development in a child from birth until adulthood. All the theories are centered on specific erogenous zones or particular body parts that are sensitive to sexual stimulation (Stevenson, 1996). Needs, as noted by Freud, which need to be met during each of these stages of development are present from the moment of birth. If the needs are not met or if the needs are overly met, the child will experience frustration or overindulgence issues (Stevenson, 1996). In addition to the issues of frustration or overindulgence, should the child become fixated upon a particular stage the methods the child uses to obtain satisfaction for that stage will affect the child throughout adulthood (Stevenson, 1996).

Freud describes child development as a series of psychosexual stages whereby the pleasure seeking ID becomes focused on certain erogenous zones and this psychosexual energy or libido is the sole force behind human behaviour. He examines how if at any

Psychosexual: (Freud) Genital Stage. In this stage the client achieves physical growth and development of sexual characteristics. The focus is on sexual interest, expressed through relationships. N.P. is in this stage, as evidenced by him having a pregnant girlfriend who accompanied him to the appointment. Physical maturation is demonstrated through facial hair, deepening of the voice, and a height close to six feet.

Freud was a renowned and respected theorist who is recognized for his development of personality theories, in fact, many other philosophers followed his beliefs to include Carl Jung. The “ Stages of Psychosexual Development are, like other stage theories, completed in a predetermined sequence and can result in either successful completion or a healthy personality or can result in failure, leading to an unhealthy personality” (Heffner, 2014). The stages of Freud’s theory of Psychosexual Development are the Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months), Anal stage (18 months to three years), Phallic Stage (ages three to six), Latency Stage (age six to puberty), and the Genital Stage (puberty on) (Heffner, 2014).

The psychosexual stages of development played an important role in human development also. Freud believed it was vital for every human to experience each stage fully; otherwise the consequences of the missed stage(s) would manifest later in the life cycle—a defense mechanism called “fixation.” Fixation occurs when there is conflict at a certain stage in psychosexual development.

The second stage is the anal stage which is from age 1 to 3 years at this stage the child’s obsession and pleasure comes from the anus. The third stage is the phallic stage which is from age 3 to 6 years this was the most controversial stage of Freud's theory in psychosexual development Freud believed at this age a child would begin to identify with the parents of their own gender, boys at this stage will develop and unconscious longing for their mothers he called this the Oedipus complex and girl’s at this stage discovering that they have no penis and struck by penis envy this he called the Electra complex. The fourth stage the latency stage a child goes through from age 6 to 12 years and is a calm period of the child development. The fifth stage is the genital stage where puberty begins and sexual changes occur. Freud believed if the child did not pass through any of these stages successfully then they would become fixated in this stage. (Hough, 2002)

He said child development is described as a series of 'psychosexual stages. Freud outlined these stages as oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. Each stage involves the satisfaction of a libidinal desire and can later play a role in adult personality. If a child does not successfully complete a stage, Freud suggested that he or she would develop a fixation that would later influence adult personality and behavior.

Freud’s stages of psychosexual development. Freud believed that early childhood experiences provide unconscious motivation for actions later in life (Freud, 1960). The basis of Freud’s psychosexual theory is certain parts of the body assume psychological significance as the focus of sexual energy throughout the development of the child (James, et al, 2013, p. 57). “Freud’s work may help to explain normal behavior that parents may confuse with abnormal behavior, and it also may provide a good foundation for sex education” (James, et al, 2013, p. 57). The stages of this theory include oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital (James, et al, 2013, p. 57).

He asserted that if these psychosexual stages are completed successfully, result is a healthy personality. However, Freud identified that if the psychosexual stages of development were in any way interrupted at a certain time, then this would cause problems in later life; he believed that it was possible to link the psychosexual stages to adult neurosis. If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage, fixation can occur. A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Until this conflict is resolved, the individual will remain "stuck" in this stage; the term "psychosexual infantilism," refers to those who become fixated in this way and fail to mature through the psychosexual stages into heterosexuality. For example, a person who is fixated at the oral stage may be over-dependent on others and may seek oral stimulation through smoking, drinking, or eating.

Freud created five stages of psychosexual development that includes the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital phases. The oral stage begins at birth and lasts until approximately age one. Throughout the first phase, Freud believed that, the sex instinct was centered on the mouth. Often infants derive pleasure from oral activities such as chewing, sucking, biting, or feeding activities. Moreover, Freud thought that if a child was weaned off the mother’s breast too early their adult personality characteristics might crave close contact and become an overly dependent spouse

Denial: Denial is one of the eight defensive mechanisms that Freud outlined. Denial is when you refuse to accept current events because they are too stressing and unpleasant. Denial can occur over a life tragedy, such as both of your parents dying in a car crash. People might deny it when they hear it at first.

Freud’s theory of psychosexual personality development states that different areas of the body called ‘erogenous zones’ take on specific importance at each of the five stages. The first year of life is known as the ‘Oral stage’. At this stage infants get pleasure from putting things in their mouth and sucking. If a child gets fixated at this stage Freud believed that later in life they would be dominated by feelings of helplessness and be incapable of personal love for other people. The second stage in Freud’s theory is the ‘Anal stage’. Toilet training occurs during this stage and Freud emphasised the process and control of defecation as the source of pleasure.

Sigmund Freuds (1856-1936) theory of psychosexual development describes how a personals personality develops of the course of their childhood. This is a well-known theory in psychology however it has always been quite controversial during both Freud’s time and in modern psychology. There are 5 stages of Freud’s psychosexual theory which are the oral stage this is the

Freud believed that an individual’s personality is formed through five psychosexual developmental stages. The oral stage which is formed in the first year of life is preoccupied with oral activities. The anal stage involves bowel function and control, and occurs during the second year of life. The phallic stage which occurs at approximately the third year to the fifth

Freud proposed that psychological development in childhood takes place in a sequence of fixed stages. Conflicts amongst the organization of the mind, appears at each of Freud’s five basic stages of psychosexual development. The five stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. These are called stages due to the fact that each stage symbolizes the fixation of libido on multiple parts of the body. Freud supposed that life was constructed around tension and pleasure. Freud also supposed that all tension was due to the collection of sexual energy and that all pleasure came from its discharge. In the first stage of personality development, the oral stage, the sexual energy is centered in the baby’s mouth. This stage occurs from 0 to 1 year. It gets plenty of gratification from putting different things in its mouth. Which at this stage are mouth orientated, such as sucking, biting, and breast-feeding. Freud believed that oral encouragement could lead to oral obsession later on in life. The libido stage now focuses on the anus when the child arises countless gratification from defecating. The child is now at the age where they are full aware that they are a person and their ego is developed. Freud believed that early of harsh potty training can lead to the child becoming an anal-retentive