THEORY A study of Sigmund Freud’s theory of the human mind.b Who Was Sigmund Freud? I am an Austrian psychologist. I invented many of the basis for psychological study today. I am also notorious for relating many psychological problems to sexual issues. I lived from 1856 to 1939. Sigmund Freud theorized that all human beings have strong, sometimes aggressive, sexual urges and desires that we have developed as infants. Freud believes that the stages of which we grow are determined by our desire for pleasure. The stages of psychosexual are completed in a predetermined sequence and, upon completion, can be classified as a success or failure. The psychosexual stages are as follows: 1. The Oral Stage 2. The Anal Stage 3. The Phallic Stage 4. Latent 5. Genital The Stage First year of Psychosexual Development (Birth – 18 months) In this stage, the infant is stimulated by sucking, eating, crying, and sound-making. Freud believes this is the stage that encourages your independence. Too much or too little oral stimulation can result is oral fixations as one grows, such as nail biting, smoking, over eating/drinking, excessive talking, and dependency. The Stage 18 months-3 Years of Psychosexual Development In this stage, the child learns toilet training and, conversely, self-control. Problems in this stage can later result in temper tantrums, cruelty, excessive cleanliness, and distance in relationships. Too much pleasure in the anal stage can cause perfectionism, and controlling issues(Anal Rententive).Too little can cause disorganization (Anal Expulvive). The Stage 3-6 Years of Psychosexual Development This stage revolves around the stimulation of the genitals. In this stage, one must try to resolve the Oedipus Complex (girls) or Electra Complex (boys). {Oedipus Complex} A Freudian psychoanalytic theory describes the son-father relationship as a psychosexual competition for possession of the mother. The child’s genitalia are his or her primary erogenous zone; thus, when children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, and the bodies of their parents, they gratify physical curiosity by undressing and exploring themselves, each other, and their genitals, so learning the anatomic differences between “male” and “female” and the gender differences between “boy” and “girl”. A fixation at this stage could result in an very high or very low sex drive. It could also cause a confused sexual identity. Problems in this stage could later result in jealousy issues, chronic masturbation, egocentric sex, sexual conquests, or parental problems. Freud also has a theory for why girls are attracted to boys: penis envy. The Stage 6 years-Puberty of Psychosexual Development The latency stage focuses on the repression of sexual and aggressive desires. The Id’s pleasure focus is on same-sex friends, and a few opposite-sex friends. Problems occurring in this stage include learning of modesty and shame consciously. Homosexuality and preferring company of same sex may occur. The Stage Adolescence of Psychosexual Development During this stage, individual develops strong sexual interest in others. Previous stages focus on the individual needs. In Genital stage, the focus is on the welfare of others. The goal of this stage is to establish balance in different life areas. Id’s pleasure focuses on: • Dating & Marriage • Sexual Energy Signs that the id won: • Poor sexual relationships • Guilt about sexuality • Individuals may also face a challenge in establishing relationship with parents. THE END