Freud’s Psychosexual Theory

And 5 Stages Of Human

Development
Sigmund Freud proposed that personality development in childhood takes place
during five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital
stages.

During each stage, sexual energy (libido) is expressed in different ways and through
different body parts.

These are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of
libido (roughly translated as sexual drives or instincts) on a different area of the
body.

As a person grows physically certain areas of their body become important as

sources of potential frustration (erogenous zones), pleasure or both.
Freud (1905) believed that life was built around tension and pleasure. Freud also
believed that all tension was due to the build-up of libido (sexual energy) and that all
pleasure came from its discharge.

In describing human personality development as psychosexual, Freud meant to

convey that what develops is the way in which sexual energy of the id accumulates
and is discharged as we mature biologically. (NB Freud used the term “sexual” in a
very general way to mean all pleasurable actions and thoughts).

Freud stressed that the first five years of life are crucial to the formation of adult
personality. The id must be controlled in order to satisfy social demands; this sets up
a conflict between frustrated wishes and social norms.

The ego and superego develop in order to exercise this control and direct the need
for gratification into socially acceptable channels. Gratification centers in different
areas of the body at different stages of growth, making the conflict at each stage
psychosexual.

The Role of Conflict

Each psychosexual stage is associated with a particular conflict that must be resolved
before the individual can successfully advance to the next stage.

The resolution of each of these conflicts requires the expenditure of sexual energy,
and the more energy that is expended at a particular stage, the more important
characteristics of that stage remain with the individual as he/she matures
psychologically.

To explain this, Freud suggested the analogy of military troops on the march. As the
troops advance, they are met by opposition or conflict. If they are highly successful
in winning the battle (resolving the conflict), then most of the troops (libido) will be
able to move on to the next battle (stage).

But the greater the difficulty encountered at any particular point, the greater the
need for troops to remain behind to fight and, thus, the fewer that will be able to go
on to the next confrontation.
Oral Stage (Birth To 1 Year)
In the first stage of psychosexual development, the libido is centered in a baby’s
mouth. During the oral stages, the baby gets much satisfaction from putting all
sorts of things in its mouth to satisfy the libido, and thus its id demands.

Which at this stage in life are oral, or mouth orientated, such as sucking, biting,
and breastfeeding. An example of this stage would be an infant who derives
pleasure from sucking on a pacifier or bottle. This gives them pleasure and
satisfaction, and helps them learn about their environment.

Freud said oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life. We see oral
personalities around us, such as smokers, nail-biters, over-eaters, and thumb-
suckers. Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviors, particularly when
under stress.

Anal Stage (1 To 3 Years)

The anal stage is the second stage of psychosexual development happens between
the ages of 18 months and three years. During the anal stage, the libido becomes
focused on the anus, and the child derives great pleasure from defecating.

An example of this stage would be a child who takes pleasure in controlling and
releasing their bowels.

Freud believed this type of conflict tends to come to a head in potty training, in
which adults impose restrictions on when and where the child can defecate. The
nature of this first conflict with authority can determine the child’s future
relationship with all forms of authority.

Unresolved conflicts or issues during this stage can lead to problems later on,
such as excessive cleanliness, stubbornness, or a need for control.

Early or harsh potty training can lead to the child becoming an anal-retentive
personality who hates mess, is obsessively tidy, punctual, and respectful of
authority. They can be stubborn and tight-fisted with their cash and possessions.

This is all related to the pleasure of holding on to their feces when toddlers and
their mum insist they get rid of it by placing them on the potty until they
perform!
Not as daft as it sounds. The anal expulsive, on the other hand, underwent a
liberal toilet-training regime during the anal stage

In adulthood, the anal expulsive is the person who wants to share things with
you. They like giving things away. In essence, they are “sharing their s**t”!” An
anal-expulsive personality is also messy, disorganized, and rebellious.

Phallic Stage (3 To 6 Years)

The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the
ages of three to six years, wherein the infant’s libido (desire) centers upon their
genitalia as the erogenous zone.

During this stage, children become more aware of their bodies and develop a
fascination with their genitals, as well as with those of the opposite sex.

The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences, which sets in motion the
conflict between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy, and fear which
Freud called the Oedipus complex (in boys) and the Electra complex (in girls).

This is resolved through the process of identification, which involves the child
adopting the characteristics of the same-sex parent.

According to Freud, unresolved conflicts or issues during this stage can lead to
problems later on, such as sexual dysfunction, gender identity issues, or
difficulties with relationships.

Oedipus Complex
The most important aspect of the phallic stage is the Oedipus complex. This is
one of Freud’s most controversial ideas and one that many people reject outright.

The name of the Oedipus complex derives from the Greek myth where Oedipus, a
young man, kills his father and marries his mother. Upon discovering this, he
pokes his eyes out and becomes blind. This Oedipal is the generic (i.e., general)
term for both Oedipus and Electra complexes.

In the young boy, the Oedipus complex or more correctly, conflict, arises because
the boy develops sexual (pleasurable) desires for his mother. He wants to possess
his mother exclusively and get rid of his father to enable him to do so.
Irrationally, the boy thinks that if his father were to find out about all this, his
father would take away what he loves the most. During the phallic stage what the
boy loves most is his penis. Hence the boy develops castration anxiety.

The little boy then sets out to resolve this problem by imitating, copying and
joining in masculine dad-type behaviors. This is called identification, and is
how the three-to-five year old boy resolves his Oedipus complex.

Identification means internally adopting the values, attitudes, and behaviors of

another person. The consequence of this is that the boy takes on the male gender
role, and adopts an ego ideal and values that become the superego.

Freud (1909) offered the Little Hans case study as evidence of the Oedipus
complex.

Electra Complex
For girls, the Electra complex is less than satisfactory. Briefly, the girl desires the
father, but realizes that she does not have a penis. This leads to the development
of penis envy and the wish to be a boy.

The girl resolves this by repressing her desire for her father and substituting the
wish for a penis with the wish for a baby. The girl blames her mother for her
“castrated state,” and this creates great tension.

The girl then represses her feelings (to remove the tension) and identifies with
the mother to take on the female gender role.

Latency Stage (6 Years To Puberty)

The latency stage is the fourth stage of psychosexual development, spanning the
period of six years to puberty. During this stage, the libido is dormant, and no
further psychosexual development takes place (latent means hidden).

The latency stage is the fourth stage of psychosexual development, according to

Freud’s theory, which happens between the ages of 6 and 12.

During this stage, children’s sexual impulses become suppressed (the libido is
dormant), and no further psychosexual development takes place (latent means
hidden).
Children focus on developing social and intellectual skills, including school,
friendships, and hobbies, instead of on sexual or romantic interests,

Freud thought most sexual impulses are repressed during the latent stage, and
sexual energy can be sublimated towards school work, hobbies, and friendships.

Much of the child’s energy is channeled into developing new skills and acquiring
new knowledge, and play becomes largely confined to other children of the same
gender.

An example of this stage would be a child who engages in hobbies and interests
rather than sexual activities.

According to Freud, unresolved conflicts or issues during this stage can lead to
problems later on, such as difficulty expressing emotions or forming healthy
relationships.

Genital Stage (Puberty To Adult)

The genital stage is the fifth and final stage of Freud’s theory of psychosexual
development, which begins in puberty and continues to adulthood. During this
stage, individuals start to become sexually mature and begin to explore their
sexual feelings and desires more maturely and responsibly.

During this stage, individuals start to experience romantic and sexual feelings
and begin to form intimate relationships with others.

An example of this stage would be a teenager who begins to experience sexual

attraction and begins to explore their sexuality.

It is a time of adolescent sexual experimentation, the successful resolution of

which is settling down in a loving one-to-one relationship with another person in
our 20s.

Sexual instinct is directed to heterosexual pleasure, rather than self-pleasure, like

during the phallic stage.

For Freud, the proper outlet of the sexual instinct in adults was through
heterosexual intercourse. Fixation and conflict may prevent this with the
consequence that sexual perversions may develop.
For example, fixation at the oral stage may result in a person gaining sexual
pleasure primarily from kissing and oral sex, rather than sexual intercourse.

According to Freud, if individuals have unresolved conflicts or issues during this

stage, it can lead to problems such as sexual dysfunction, difficulties forming
healthy relationships, or other emotional problems.

Frustration, Overindulgence, And

Fixation
Some people do not seem to be able to leave one stage and proceed on to the
next. One reason for this may be that the needs of the developing individual at
any particular stage may not have been adequately met in which case there is
frustration.

Or possibly the person’s needs may have been so well satisfied that he/she is
reluctant to leave the psychological benefits of a particular stage in which there is
overindulgence.

Both frustration and overindulgence (or any combination of the two) may lead to
what psychoanalysts call fixation at a particular psychosexual stage.

Fixation refers to the theoretical notion that a portion of the individual’s libido
has been permanently “invested” in a particular stage of his development.

Critical Evaluation
Is Freudian psychology supported by evidence? Freud’s theory is good at
explaining but not at predicting behavior (which is one of the goals of science).

For this reason, Freud’s theory is unfalsifiable – it can neither be proved true or
refuted. For example, the libido is difficult to test and measure objectively.
Overall, Freud’s theory is highly unscientific.

Freud may also have shown research bias in his interpretations – he may have
only paid attention to information which supported his theories, and ignored
information and other explanations that did not fit them.
However, Fisher & Greenberg (1996) argue that Freud’s theory should be
evaluated in terms of specific hypotheses rather than as a whole. They concluded
that there is evidence to support Freud’s concepts of oral and anal personalities.

Sigmund Freud Erik Erikson

Focused on psychosexual stages Focused on psychosocial stages

Proposed five stages (emphasizes Proposed eight stages (throughout

childhood) the lifespand)

Stages focused on physical needs Stages focused on psychological

and urges needs and social interaction

Identity, intimacy, and

Id, ego, and superego are the three
generativity are the three levels of
levels of personality
personality

Identity, intimacy, and Identity, intimacy, and

generativity are the three levels of generativity are the three levels of
personality personality

Each stage must be resolved for a Each stage must be mastered for a
healthy personality healthy personality

References
Fisher, S. & Greenberg, R. P. (1996). Freud scientifically reappraised: Testing
the theories and therapy. New York: Wiley.

Freud, S. (1905). Three essays on the theory of sexuality. Standard Edition 7:

123- 246.
FAQs
What is psychosexual theory in simple words?
Psychosexual theory is a theory developed by Sigmund Freud that explains how a
child’s early experiences can shape their personality and behavior in adulthood.

According to this theory, children progress through a series of stages during

which their focus of pleasure and satisfaction shifts from different body parts,
known as erogenous zones.

Freud proposed that unresolved conflicts and traumas during these early stages
can lead to psychological problems in adulthood. The stages include the oral
stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage, and genital stage.

Overall, psychosexual theory suggests that a child’s early experiences can have a
significant impact on their adult personality and behavior and that
understanding these experiences can help us understand and treat psychological
problems in adulthood.

However, it is important to note that this theory is controversial and has been
subject to criticism and revision over the years.

Is Freud’s psychosexual theory still relevant today?

Freud’s psychosexual theory remains an important and influential theory in
psychology, but it is not without its limitations and criticisms. While some aspects of
the theory may no longer be considered relevant or valid, its legacy and impact on
psychology cannot be denied.

Psychosexual theory has provided important insights into how early experiences can
shape personality and behavior. It has influenced many aspects of modern
psychology, including psychodynamic therapy, attachment theory, and
developmental psychology.

Psychosexual theory has been criticized for its limited empirical support, its lack of
scientific rigor, and its focus on sexual and aggressive drives to the exclusion of other
factors.
Critics have also pointed out that psychosexual theory is based on outdated and
sexist views of gender and sexuality. It has been used to pathologize and stigmatize
individuals with non-normative sexual or gender identities.