psychosexual stages

• what did freud suggest


  -all children go through 5 age related stages of development

  -at each age the libido focuses on one area
• what is the mnemonic used for psychosexual stages


  -old age pensioners love guinness
• outline the oral stage (0-18 months)


  -focus of libido is the mouth

  -child is being breastfed and weaned

  -they are passive receptive and dependent

  -also focus on exploring with their mouths

  -they will pick up and suck objects
• what are the possible causes of fixation in the oral stage


  weaned too early/weaned too late
• outline possible results of fixation


  -smoking ,biting nails, chewing gum, sarcasm ,nastiness
• outline the anal stage (1-3 yrs)


  -focus of libido is on the anus as this is when potty training takes place

  -ego develops as parents impose restrictions

  -first time child experiences any sort of control(expulsion/retention of faeces)
• outline possible causes of fixation in anal stage


  -overly harsh/lax potty training
• what are the possible results of fixation in the anal stage


  -if anally retentive: overly controlled, uptight ,obsessive

  -if anally expulsive: messy, disorganised, thoughtless
• outline the phallic stage (3-6 yrs)


  -focus on genitals

  -curiosity and examination

  -superego develops through the resolution of the Oedipus or Electra complex

  -identification with same sex parent leads to the formation of gender identity
• what are possible causes of fixation in phallic


  -no father figure/dominant mother figure
• what are possible results in phallic stage


  -sexual anxiety/self obsession/envy
• Outline Oedipus complex (phallic stage)

  -boys go thought Oedipus complex in phallic stage

  -have unconscious sexual feelings for their mother

  -fear their fathers as they have castration anxiety

  -in order to overcome this fear the child identifies with his father taking on beliefs values and morality

  -bc of this the boy develops a superego
• outline electra complex (phallic stage)


  -girls develop penis envy

  -they are aware their dad has one and develop sexual feelings for him

  -they start to see their mother as a rival for the father

  -as the mother also does not have penis the girls blame their mother for their own lack of penis believing the mother has castrated her
• Why are girls different to boys in terms of superego development


  -girls realise they can possses their father by identifying with their mother.

  -however as penis envy does not invoke the same fear as castration anxiety the girl does not identify with her mother as strongly and so has a weaker superego
• what did freud say females never do


  -resolve the Electra complex and so are not as moral as boys.

  -girl replaces her penis envy with her desire for a baby
• outline latency stage (7-11yrs)


  -earlier conflicts are repressed

  -sexual urges sublimated into sports and other hobbies and a focus on developing same sex friendships

  -no specific requirements for successful completion
• outline the genital stage (puberty onwards)


  -focus on genitals but not to the same extent as the phallic stage

  -the task is to develop healthy adult friendships

  -a consequence of unresolved conflict would be difficulty forming heterosexual relationships