Psychosexual Theory by Freud
Freud, through analysis of his patients, began to believe that their problems were the result of early experiences in their life. According to him, our adult personality is determined by the way we resolve conflicts between sources of pleasure at each stage and the demands of reality.
erogenous zones, sexual stages, Oedipus complex, Electra complex
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latency
- Genital
| Stage | Age | Erogenous Zone | Fixation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | Birth to 1 year | Mouth | Oral fixation leads to oral personality, i.e., selfishness, depression, aggression | Baby obtains gratification through mouth; feeding, thumb sucking, biting. All provide pleasure. First emotional tie with external world. |
| Anal | 2 - 3; during potty training | Anal area | Result of conflict arising due to toilet training. Orderliness, miserliness, and obstinacy | Child gains control over bodily functions of urination and excretion; they gain pleasure from retaining bowels |
| Phallic | 4 - 6 | Genital area | - | Understand gender, become aware of sexuality and sexual relationship bw parents. Oedipus Complex (Boy develops love for his mother, thinks of father as rival, develops a fear of punishment from father “castration anxiety” . For girls - Electra Complex. Both repress desires and identify with parent of same gender and adopt gender roles |
| Latency | 7 - Puberty | - | Physical growth. Relatively low sexual urges; Repression of sexual instincts. Learns values of family and culture | |
| Genital | Puberty - Adulthood | Genitals | Fixation leads to regression to an earlier stage | Last stage. Learns to deal with opposite sex in socially and sexually matured way. Sexual energy directed towards opposite sex. |