Question 17:Describe Freud’s psychosexual stages of personality development.
The correct answer is – Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages of personality development are a series of five stages that he believed all individuals go through in early childhood, each of which is focused on a different erogenous zone. These stages are:
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Oral Stage (birth to 18 months): During the oral stage, the infant’s primary source of pleasure comes from sucking and oral exploration. If the infant is weaned too early or too late, this can lead to fixation and later personality issues such as overeating, smoking, and talking too much.
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Anal Stage (18 months to 3 years): During the anal stage, the child’s primary source of pleasure comes from bowel movements and the ability to control them. If parents are too strict or too lenient during potty training, this can lead to issues with orderliness and control in later life.
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Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years): During the phallic stage, the child becomes interested in their own genitals and those of others. This is when Freud posited that the Oedipus and Electra complexes occur, where the child develops unconscious sexual desires for the opposite-sex parent and sees the same-sex parent as a rival.
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Latency Stage (6 to 12 years): During the latency stage, the child’s sexual impulses are repressed and sublimated into other activities such as schoolwork and friendships.
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Genital Stage (12 years to adulthood): During the genital stage, the individual’s sexual impulses are reawakened and become focused on heterosexual relationships. If earlier stages have been successfully navigated, the individual will be able to form healthy relationships, but if they have not, there may be issues with intimacy and commitment.
