Sigmund Freud’s Stages of
Psychosexual Development
The Basis of Freud’s Theory
Freud believed that all Children are born
with powerful sexual urges .
In learning to control these urges they learn
right from wrong and acquire socialization
skills.
Freud believed that in each stage the child
learned to overcome the conflict of getting
what they want or being denied and thus
learned socialization.
Freud believed that most people would
successfully meet the challenge of each
stage and move to the next.
He also believed that some people did not
successfully meet the challenges of a
stage and became fixated or obsessed
with that stage and thus their developmen
was hindered.
Stage One- The Oral Stage
Birth- 18 months
Freud believed that People in this stages
satisfied their sexual urges through
sucking, biting and swallowing.
Being weaned from breast feeding was the
first challenge they would face in which
they did not get what they wanted.
The Oral Stage
Freud believed how you dealt with this
challenge would influence your
personality.
Those who dealt with this stage successfully
would move into stage 2.
Those who did not deal with this challenge
successfully would retain an oral fixation.
.
They would exhibit one of the following
personalities:
Oral Receptive- Pre-occupied with eating,
drinking, smoking, biting nails.
Oral receptive people are generally passive.
Oral Aggressive- These people are hostile
and verbally abusive to others.
Stage Two- The Anal Stage
18 months to three years
According to Freud A child in the Anal Stage
satisfies its sexual desires through its
toileting habits.
When the child is free to use the bathroom
when and how it wants it is most satisfied.
The conflict in this stage is the restriction on
its toliet habit presented by toilet training.
Consequences of the Anal Stage
A child who accepts the challenge of toilet
training learns an important socialization
skill and moves to the next stage.
A child which does not deal with the conflict
present by toilet training will develop one
of the following personalities:
Anal Retentive – Anal retentive people will
always seek order and tidiness. These
people are perfectionists.
Anal Expulsive- Anal expulsive people are
messy, and careless. They usually do not
show a great deal of self-control.
Stage Three-The Phallic Stage
3 to 5 years old
According to Freud children in this stage
discover their genitals.
They are taught that it is not socially
acceptable to expose yourself. This is the
conflict of this Phallic Stage.
The Phallic Stage
During the Phallic stage boys will identify
with the values of their Father and girls will
do the same with their mother.
Children in the Phallic stage will become
aware of the differences between the
genders.
The Phallic Stage
Children in this stage will begin to see their
same sex parent as a rival for the
affections of their opposite sex parent.
For Boys this phenomenon is known as the
Oedipus Complex for girls it is known as
the Electra Complex.
Stage 4 The Latency Stage
Age 6 to Puberty
• In the Latent Stage Freud says that
children put aside their sexual desires to
pursue learning.
• This setting aside of sexual desires is
known as sublimination.
• There is no conflict and no socialization
task in this stage.
Stage 5 The Genital Stage
Puberty- Adulthood
During the Genital stage we become mature
and receive as much satisfaction from
providing pleasure as we do from
receiving.
Freud says that we all reach this stage by
adolescence.