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Freud 's Theories Of Human Sexual Development Essay

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Human sexual development begins in the womb and traverses the entire life span. From fetal hormonal influences that determine expressed sex to nascent sexual discovery in toddlers, dramatic physical changes during puberty, and sexual partners in adulthood, sexuality follows us throughout every major developmental stage in life (some developmental stages even being defined by sexual changes, e.g. menarche, spermarche, and menopause). With sexuality being such an integral part of the human experience, it is no surprise, then, that various prominent thinkers have created theories based upon stages of human sexual development. Arguably one of the most influential theories of human sexual development are Sigmund Freud’s stages of psychosexual development (Freud, 1905/1962). While this entry seeks to give the reader an overview of Freud’s theory of psychosexual development, it is also a worthwhile venture to include the environmental, societal and philosophical backgrounds which influenced Freud. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the counseling technique of psychoanalysis, the first technique coined to alleviate psychopathological ailments through talking (i.e. “the talking cure”). Freud was born into a society rife with sexual debauchery (Grandner & Jones, 1996). Prostitution ran rampant throughout Vienna, but a societal demonization of sexuality, comparable to Victorian England, created a confusing system of mores. Many contemporaries

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