Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development

Freud’s Psychosexual
stages of Developmen
Sigmund Freud ( May 6, 1856 –
September 23, 1939) was an Austrian
neurologist who developed
psychoanalysis. Freud was an Austrian
neurologist and the founder of
psychoanalysis, who created an
entirely new approach to the
understanding of the human
personality. He is regarded as one of
the most influential and controversial
minds of the 20th century.
PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
Stages Ages Characteristics

Oral Birth – 1 year old Mouth is primary erogenous zone; pleasure
derived from sucking
Anal 1 – 3 years old Toilet training (external reality) interferes

with gratification received from defecation
Phallic 3 – 5 years old Incestuous fantasies; Oedipus complex
Latency 5 years old – Puberty Period of sublimation of sex instincts
Genital Puberty - Adult Development of sex - role , identity and

adult social relationship
Oral stage, the first stage of psychosexual development, lasts
from birth until some time during the second year of life.
Infant’s principal source of pleasure is the mouth. The infant

derives pleasure from sucking, biting, and swallowing.
The infant is in a state of dependence on the mother or caregiver.

She or he becomes the primary object of the child’s libido.
Two ways of behaving during this stage: Oral Incorporative
Behavior (taking in) and Oral Aggressive or Oral Sadistic Behavior
(biting or spitting out).
1. Oral incorporative mode occurs first and involves the

pleasurable stimulation of the mouth by other people and by food.
2. Oral aggressive or oral sadistic, occurs during the painful,

frustrating eruption of teeth. Persons fixated at this level are prone
to excessive pessimism, hostility, and aggressiveness. They are
likely to be argumentative and sarcastic, making so-called biting
remarks and displaying cruelty toward others.
The oral stage concludes at the time of weaning, although some

libido remains if fixation has occurred.
The Anal Stage Society, in the form of
parents, tends to defer to the infant’s needs
during the first year of life, adjusting to its
demands and expecting relatively little
adjustment in return. Freud believed that the
experience of toilet training during the anal
stage had a significant effect on personality
development. The child has control over
something and can choose to comply or not
with the parents’ demands. Child may react in
one of two ways One way is to defecate when
and where the parents disapprove, thus
defying their attempts at regulation. If the
child finds this a satisfactory technique for
reducing frustration and uses it frequently, he
or she may develop an anal aggressive
personality. A second way the child may react
to the frustration of toilet training is to hold
back or retain the feces. This produces a
feeling of erotic pleasure (derived from a full
The Phallic Stage A new set of problems arises around the fourth to fifth year, when the
focus of pleasure shifts from the anus to the genitals. Again the child faces a battle between an
id impulse and the demands of society, as reflected in parental expectations. Children at the
phallic stage display considerable interest in exploring and manipulating the genitals, their own
and those of their playmates. Pleasure is derived from the genital region not only through
behaviors such as masturbation, but also through fantasies. The child becomes curious about
birth and about why boys have penises and girls do not. The child may talk about wanting to
marry the parent of the opposite sex. The phallic stage is the last of the pre-genital or
childhood stages, and phallic conflicts are the most complex ones to resolve. They are difficult
for many people to accept because they involve the notion of incest, a taboo in many cultures.
Between incestuous desires and masturbation we can see the seeds of shock, anger, and
suppression being sown in the parents of the typical 4-year-old. Reality and morality come to
Oediphus Complex (in Freudian theory) the complex of emotions
aroused in a young child, typically around the age of four, by an
unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and wish
to exclude the parent of the same sex. (The term was originally applied
to boys, the equivalent in girls being called the Electra complex.
Phallic personality in classical psychoanalytic theory, a pattern of
narcissistic behavior exemplified by boastfulness, excessive self-
assurance, vanity, compulsive sexual behavior, and in some cases
competitive, aggressive, or exhibitionistic behavior.
The storms and stresses of the oral,
anal, and phallic stages of psychosexual
development are the amalgam out of
which most of the adult personality is
shaped. The three major structures of the
personality – the id, ego, and super ego –
have been formed by approximately the
age of 5, and the relationships among
them are being solidified.
The latency period is not a
psychosexual stage of development. The
sex instinct is dominant. Temporarily
sublimated in school activities, hobbies,
and sports and in developing friendships
with members of the same sex.
The Genital stage, the final
psychosexual stage of development,
begins at puberty. The body is becoming
physiologically mature, and if no major
fixations have occurred at an earlier stage
of development, the individual may be
able to lead a normal life. Freud believed
that the conflict during this period is less
intense than in the other stages. The
adolescent must conform to societal
sanctions and taboos that exist
concerning sexual expression, but conflict
is minimized through sublimation. The
sexual energy pressing for expression in
the teenage years can be at least partially
satisfied through the pursuit of socially
acceptable substitutes and, later, through
a committed adult relationship with a
person of the opposite sex. The genital
personality type is able to find satisfaction
in love and work, the latter being an
acceptable outlet for sublimation of the id

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Freud’s Psychosexual

Stages Ages Characteristics

Anal 1 – 3 years old Toilet training (external reality) interferes

Genital Puberty - Adult Development of sex - role , identity and

Infant’s principal source of pleasure is the mouth. The infant

The infant is in a state of dependence on the mother or caregiver.

1. Oral incorporative mode occurs first and involves the

2. Oral aggressive or oral sadistic, occurs during the painful,

The oral stage concludes at the time of weaning, although some

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