Bright Ideas: Psychosexual Development Stages

Introduction

• Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development.
• Five stages through which a person develops, determining their personality depending on whether needs are met.
• Each stage has specific erogenous zones.

Stages of Psychosexual Development

1. Oral Stage

• Age: Birth to 18 months
• Erogenous Zone: Mouth
• Focus: Oral pleasures like sucking.
• Fixation Results:
  • Oral receptive personality: tendency to smoke, drink, or overeat.
  • Oral aggressive personality: tendency to bite nails, curse, or gossip.
  • Potential traits: dependency on others, lack of leadership, pessimism, aggression.

2. Anal Stage

• Age: 18 months to 3 years
• Erogenous Zone: Anus
• Focus: Elimination and retention of feces; toilet training.
• Fixation Results:
  • Anal retentive personality: obsession with cleanliness, perfection, control.
  • Anal expulsive personality: messy, disorganized.

3. Phallic Stage

• Age: 3 to 6 years
• Erogenous Zone: Genitals
• Focus: Difference between sexes; self-discovery.
• Key Concepts:
  • Oedipus Complex: Boys' desire for their mother, rivalry with father.
  • Electra Complex: Girls' attraction towards their father.

4. Latency Stage

• Age: 6 years to puberty
• Focus: Developmental focus on physical and academic skills.
• Characteristics: Sexual urges are suppressed, boys and girls typically interact with same-gender peers.

5. Genital Stage

• Age: Puberty onwards
• Erogenous Zone: Genitals
• Focus: Sexual urges reawakened, directed towards opposite sex peers.

Conclusion

• Freud's theory links personality development to the satisfaction of needs at each stage.
• Unresolved conflicts may lead to fixation and influence adult behavior.