Analysis Of Sigmund Freud's Psychoosexual Theory Of Development

Introduction

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), now known as the father of psychoanalysis, has contributed many theories to the modern society. Among those the most discussed and studied is ‘the psychosexual theory of development’. It is a theory in which Freud explains about the fundamental elements of the instinctual libido (sexual energy) that human beings possess and develops in five stages from birth.

He opined that infants can derive sexual pleasure from any part of their bodies, and that socialization directs the instinctual libidinal drives into adult heterosexuality.

According to him the instinctual libido develops through five stages namely;

 Oral stage (Birth – 1 year)

 Anal stage

In this stage the infant's mouth is the focus of libidinal gratification derived from the pleasure of feeding at the mother's breast and from the oral exploration of his or her environment. Freud opines Id dominates in this stage because neither the ego nor the super ego is yet fully developed, and, since the infant has no personality (identity), every action is based upon the pleasure principle. Ego formation starts

Anal Stage

In Freud’s theory anal stage is the second stage of psychosexual development which spans from the age of 1.5 years to 3 years. In this stage the erogenous zone changes from the mouth to the anus and the ego formation continues. He opines that toilet training is the child’s key anal-stage experience. Here the conflict between Id and Ego takes place.

Phallic Stage

This is the third stage of psychosexual development. It spans from the age of three to six years. In this stage the child's genitalia are his or her primary sexually sensitive zone. It is in this third stage that children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, and the bodies of their

Moreover the Ego began to form in this stage.

According to Freud this is the stage where weaning is the key experience in the infant's oral stage of psychosexual development. This experience helps in increasing the self-awareness and thus learns of delayed gratification, which leads to the formation of the capacities for independence (awareness of the limits of the self) and trust (behaviors leading to gratification).

From the above paragraph it is clear that the role of parents in this stage is significant. Thwarting of the oral-stage — too much or too little gratification of desire — might lead to an oral-stage fixation, characterized by passivity, unwariness, immaturity, unrealistic optimism, which is manifested in a manipulative personality consequent to ego malformation.

The second stage, anal stage, is more significant. As we know the ego formation will continue in this stage. In this stage parents should be more careful in handling the matters. Because Id-Ego conflicts also start in this stage. The style of parenting influences the resolution of the Id–Ego conflict,