FREUD’S STAGES OF

PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
 Sigmund Freud is the most popular psychologist that studied development of personality,
also probably the most controversial. His theory of psychosexual development includes five
distinct stages. According to him, a person goes through the sequence of these five stages and
along the way there are needs to be met. Whether these needs are met or not. The theory is quite
interesting for many because Freud identified specific erogenous zones for each stage of the
development. These specific “pleasure areas” that become the focal points for the particular
stage. If needs are not met along the area, a fixation occurs. As an adult, the person will now
manifest behaviors related to this erogenous zone.
 ORAL STAGE
(Birth to 18 months)
The erogenous zone is the mouth. During the oral stage, the child is focused on oral pleasures (sucking).
Too much little satisfaction can lead to an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is shown in an increased
focus on oral activities. This type of personality may be oral receptive, that is, have a stronger a tendency to
smoke, drink alcohol, overeat, or oral aggressive, that is with tendency to bite his or her nails, or use curse
words or even gossip. As a result, these persons may become too dependent on others, easily fooled, and lack
leadership trait. On the other hand they may also fight these tendencies and become pessimistic and aggressive
in relating with people.
 ANAL STAGE
(18 months to 3 years)
The child’s focus of pleasure in this stage is the anus. The child finds satisfaction in eliminating and
retaining feces. Through society’s expectations, particularly the parents, the child needs to work on toilet
training. Let us remember that between one year and a half to three years the child’s favorite word might be
“No!”. Therefore a struggle might exist in the toilet training process when the child retains feces when asked to
eliminate, or may choose to defecate when asked to hold feces for some reason. In terms of personality, fixation
during this stage can result in being anal retentive, an obsession with cleanliness, perfection, and control; or
anal expulsive where the person may become messy and disorganized.
 PHALLIC STAGE
(ages 3 to 6)
The pleasure or erogenous zone is the genitals. During preschool age, children become interested in what
makes boys and girls different. Preschoolers will sometimes be seen fondling their genitals. Freud’s studies led
him to believe that during this stage boys develop unconscious sexual desire for their mother. Boys then seen
their father as a rival for his mother’s affection. Boys may fear that their father will punish them for these
feelings, thus, the castration anxiety. These feelings comprise what Freud called Oedipus Complex. In Greek
Mythology, Oedipus unintentionally killed his father and married his mother Jocasta.
 CON’T
Psychoanalysts also believed that girls may also have similar experience, developing unconscious sexual
attraction towards their father. This is what is referred to as the Electra Complex.
According to Freud, out of fear the castration and due to the strong competition of their father, boys
eventually decide to identify with them rather than fight them. By identifying with their father, the boys
develop masculine characteristics and identify themselves as males and repress their sexual feelings toward
their mother. A fixation at this stage could result in sexual deviances (both overindulging and avoidance) and
weak of confused sexual identity according to psychoanalysts.
 LATENCY STAGE
(age 6 to puberty)

It’s during this stage sexual urges remain repressed. The children’s focus is the acquisition of physical
and academic skills. Boys usually relate more with boys and girls during this stage.
 GENITAL STAGE
(puberty onwards)

The fifth stage of psychosexual development begins at the start of puberty when sexual urges are once
again awakened. In the earlier stages, adolescents focus their sexual urges towards the opposite sex peers,
with the pleasure centered on the genitals.
FREUD’S PERSONALITY COMPONENTS
Freud describe the personality structures as having three components, the id the
ego and the superego. For each person, the first emerge is the id, followed by the ego,
and last to develop is the superego.
 The id
Freud says that, a child is born with the id. The id plays a vital role in one’s personality because as a baby, it

works so that baby’s essential needs are met. The id operates on the pleasure principle. It focuses on immediate

gratification or satisfaction of its needs. So whatever feels good now is what it will pursue with no consideration

for the reality, logicality or practicality of the situation. For example, a baby is hungry. It’s id wants food or milk…

so the baby will cry. When the child needs to be changed, the id cries. When the child is uncomfortable, in pain,

too hot, too cold, or just wants attention, the id speaks up until his or her needs are met.

Nothing else matter to the id except the satisfaction of its own needs. It is not oriented towards considering

reality not the needs of others. Just see how babies cry any time of the day and night! Absolutely no regard of the

whether mommy is tired or daddy is sleeping. When the id wants something, it wants it now and wants fast!
The ego
As the baby turns into toddler and then into a preschooler, he/she relates more with the environment,
the ego slowly begins to emerge. The ego operates using the reality principle. It is aware that others also
have needs to be met. It is practical because it knows that being impulsive or selfish can result to negative
consequences later, so it reasons and considers the best response to situations. As such, it is the deciding
agent of the personality. Although it functions to help the id meet its needs, it always takes into account the
reality of the situation.
The superego
Near the end of the preschool years, or the end of the phallic stage, the superego embodies a person’s
moral aspect. This develops from what the parents, teachers and other who exert influence impart to be
good or moral. The superego is likened to conscience because it exerts influence on what one consider
right or wrong.
FREUD’S CONCEPTION OF THE
HUMAN PSYCHE
The Unconscious
Freud said that the most what we go through in our lives, emotions, beliefs, feelings, and impulses
deep within are not available to us at a conscious level. He believed that the most of what influence us in
unconscious. The Oedipus and Electra Complex mentioned earlier were both buried down into
unconscious, out of our awareness due to the extreme anxiety they caused. While these complexes are in
our unconscious, they still influence our thinking, feeling and doing in perhaps dramatic ways.
The Conscious
Freud also said that all that we are aware of is stored in our conscious mind. Our conscious mind only
compromises a very small part of who we so that, in our everyday life, we are only aware of very small
part of what makes up our personality; most of what we are is hidden and out reach.
The Subconscious
The last part is the preconscious or subconscious. This is the part of us that we can reach if prompted,
but is not in our active conscious. Its right below the surface, but still “hidden” somewhat unless we search
for it. Information such as our telephone number, some childhood memories, or the name of your
childhood friend is stored in the preconscious.

Because the unconscious is so huge, and because we are only aware of the very small conscious at any
given time, Freud used the analogy of the iceberg is hidden beneath the water’s surface.

The water, may represent all that we are not aware of, have not experienced, and that has not been
made part of our personalities, referred to as the nonconscious.
FREUD’S CONCEPTION OF THE HUMAN
PSYCHE
(The Iceberg Metaphor)

Nonconscious

*Note: Ego is free floating in

all three levels.