FREUD’S THEORY OF
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Unit 5
Lesson 2
OBJECTIVES
Discuss and evaluate Freud’s Theory of
Personality Development.
 Identify different defense mechanisms.

WARM UP
 What
school of
psychology did
Freud establish?
 Psychoanalytic
PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL OF PERSONALITY



Adult personality & social
relations understood by
knowing how sexual and
aggressive urges were
managed during childhood.
Sexual = life instincts (eros)
Aggressive = death instincts
(thanatos)
FREUD’S PERSONALITY THEORY
 Conflict
b/t what is
socially acceptable &
urges (pleasure)=
 Three
part personality
Id (animalistic, selfish
drives)
 Superego (overly cautious,
ideals)
 Ego (balance)

FREUD’S THEORY CONT…

Theory focuses on sexual
drives

Body parts sensitive to
sexual stimulation =
Erogenous Zones

Libido – sexual/psychic
energy focused on primary
e.z. of particular age

Too much frustration or
overindulgence = energy
locked in stage: FIXATION
STAGE 1 – THE ORAL
STAGE
 Age:
Birth to 18m
 Erogenous Zone: Mouth
 Focus Activities/Behaviors: Nursing,
Eating, Sucking, Gumming, Biting
 Conflict: Weaning. Deprives child of sensory
& psych pleasure of nurture, care, love.
 Later Symptoms: Smoking, drinking,
constant chewing (gum, pencils) nail biting,
overeating, biting sarcasm, overly talkative
STAGE 2 – THE ANAL
STAGE
Age: 18 to 36 m
 Erogenous Zone: Anus
 Focus Activities/Behaviors: Retention or
expulsion of feces
 Conflict: Potty training. One part pleasure from
going, one part trying to control function.
 Later Symptoms:
Anal Expulsive – messy, disorganized, careless,
defiant
Anal Retentive – neat, precise, orderly, passiveaggressive

STAGE 3 – THE PHALLIC
STAGE (BOYS)




Age: 3-6
Erogenous Zone: Genitals
Focus Activities/Behaviors: Fondling,
Conflict:
Oedipus Complex – sexual attraction for mom, aggression
and jealously @ dad
 Castration Anxiety – fear of losing penis (notice girls don’t
have)
 Identification – can’t have mom so will become most like
man who can


Later Symptoms: Anxiety/guilt about sexual feelings
… Share dad’s values, morals, principles
STAGE 3 – THE PHALLIC
STAGE (GIRLS)




Age: 3-6
Erogenous Zone: Genitals
Focus Activities/Behaviors: Fondling
Conflict:




Electra Complex – sexual attraction for dad, envy mom
Penis Envy – notice boys have one, girls want one
Identification – can’t have dad so will become most like
woman who can
Later Symptoms: Anxiety/guilt about sexual feelings
… Adopt mom’s values, morals, principles…marry
man like father
STAGE 4 – THE LATENCY PERIOD
 Age:
6 to Puberty (11/13)
 Erogenous Zone: None
 Focus Activities/Behaviors: Sexual
Repression. Libido turned to learning
(gender roles, beliefs system, same sex
friendships)
 Conflict: None
 Later Symptoms: None
* Puberty leads to sexual reawakening!
STAGE 5 – THE GENITAL
PERIOD
 Age:
Puberty on
 Erogenous Zone: Genitals
 Focus Activities/Behaviors: Heterosexual
Relationships, Intimacy
 Conflict: What energy is left over vs
what’s locked in other stages
 Later Symptoms: No fixations…just deal
with earlier resolutions
EVALUATION






Personality formed in
childhood?
Observable?
Reliable?
Sexual desires as
primary motivation?
Condescending notions
of women (as incomplete
men!)?
Cause of mental issues?
DEFENSE MECHANISMS
 Ego
tool
 Protect
personality
from hostile
world…mind from
anxiety.

Healthy Use / Overuse
ACTIVITY

Popcorn Read

Applying Defense Mechanisms
CLOSURE

What defense mechanisms have you
used in the past year? Do you use
some more than others?
HOMEWORK

Create a new example for each of the defense
mechanisms we studied.

You may write a scenario or choose to do a role
play/charade.