psychosexual stages

• Freud argued child development occurred in 5 stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
• Stage: Oral 0-1 years

  Description: Focus of pleasure is the mouth, mother's breast can be the object of desire

  Consequence of unresolved conflict: Oral fixation - smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical
• Stage: Anal 1-3 years

  • focus of pleasure is the anus
  • child gains pleasure from withholding and expelling faeces

  Consequence of unresolved conflict:

  • Anal retentive - perfectionist, obsessive
  • Anal expulsive - thoughtless, messy
• Stage: Phallic, 3-6 years

  • focus of pleasure is the genital area

  Consequence of unresolved conflict:

  • Phallic personality - narcissistic, reckless
• Stage: Latency

  • Earlier conflicts are repressed
• Stage: Genital

  • Sexual desires become conscious alongside the onset of puberty

  Consequence of unresolved conflict:

  • Difficulty forming heterosexual relationships
• What is the Oedipus complex?

  A boy's attraction to his mother and rivalry with his father during the phallic stage
• What is castration anxiety?

  A boy's fear that his father will remove his genitals
• What is penis envy?

  A girl's realization that she doesn't have a penis
• What is the name of the fourth stage in Freud’s psychosexual development?

  The Latency Stage
• What is the typical age range for the latency stage?

  Around 6 years old to puberty
• Where is the libido focused during the latency stage?

  The libido is repressed / dormant
• What is the main focus of development during the latency stage?

  Developing social skills, friendships, learning, and hobbies
• What type of peer relationships are most common during the latency stage?

  Same-sex friendships
• What psychological processes strengthen during the latency stage?

  Gender identity and identification with the same-sex parent
• Is fixation common during the latency stage?

  No, fixation is rare, but unresolved conflicts from earlier stages may persist