Psychosexual

Development
By Sigmund Freud
1856- 1939
 Psychosexual Development
 Developed by Sigmund
Freud
 Based on the idea that
behavior is controlled by
our unconscious
 We are not aware of our
hidden desires and fears
 These desires and fears
are rooted in our
childhood development
 Psychoanalytic Stages of
Development
 Based on the unconscious desires
 These are either to seek pleasure (desire) or to
avoid pain (Fear)
 We can move from one stage to another if we
can resolve our issues in the stage
 Fixations – unresolved conflict in a stage either
by over gratified or under gratified pleasure
 Psychosexual Stages
1. Oral Stage
2. Anal Stage
3. Phallic Stage
4. Latency Stage
5. Genital Stage
 Oral Stage
 Birth to 1 year
 Mouth and Lips are
center of pleasure
 Fixation: oral
characteristics – over
eating, talking too
much, smoking,
alcoholism, or biting
sarcasm
 Oral Stage
 Oral receptive: very
trusting, dependent
on others
 Oral aggressive:
aggressive and
dominating, verbal
aggression etc
 Anal Stage
2 – 3 years of age
 Characterized by
conflicts with parents
about compliance and
defiance

 Pleasure of
eliminating waste any
time is controlled for
toilet training.
 Anal Stage
 Fixation: Anal retentive or
Obsessive Compulsive -
Control freak, stingy, highly
organized, stubborn,
excessively concerned with
order and cleanliness OR
 Anal expulsive:
disorganized, rebellious,
messy
 Phallic Stage
 Phallic Stage
 3-5 years old
 Pleasure moves to the
male penis – phallic
symbol for power and
status
 Identification is a
powerful force in the life
of a child- identifies with
same sex parents-
imitates them
 Phallic Stage
 Unconscious desire
(attraction) for the
opposite sex parent
(cathexis) and sees same
sex parent as competition
for love of the opposite
parent’s love
 Cathexis- concentration
of emotion on a person,
idea or thing
 Phallic Stage
 Male – Oedipus
Complex (married his
mother and killed his
father
 Fear of castration
(penis being cut off)
makes him identify
with his father and this
helps to resolve the
conflict
 Female – Electra
Complex (Married
father)
 Experience of Penis
Envy- blames mother
for not having a penis
(object of pleasure)
but eventually
identifies with mother.
 Phallic Stage
 Fixations:
 Male – excessively
concerned with being
masculine in
appearance and
actions
 Female – excessive
need for and
demands equality or
equal treatment with
men
 Latency Stage
 Latency Stage
 6 to 12 years old
 Period of quiet from
needs for pleasure
 Impulse then moves
to other matters such
as education, play,
sports, etc.
 Genital Stage
Genital Stage
 13 years old onwards
 Focus of pleasure once
again moves to the
genitalia (penis for men,
clitoris for women)
 Adolescents seek
relationships through
which sexual impulse can
be gratified
 Genital Stage
 The quality of
relationships and
degree of fulfillment
at this stage are tied
to the resolution of
past conflicts and
fixations