Phallic Stage

5.4.3 Phallic stage

It is the third stage of psycho sexual development that spans between 3 to 6 years of age. The primary erogenous zone changes from the anal region to the genital parts of the child. As children at this stage become aware of their own bodies, their parents and others, they learn the physical difference between a boy and a girl. As per Freud, the child at this stage develops sexual desires towards his/her parent. The psychosocial experience that develops because of this sexual desire is termed different for boys and girls. For boys it is called Oedipus complex and for girls it is called Electra complex

• Oedipus complex - Put in simpler words, it is the son-father competition for possession of mother.

• Electra complex –

Also this stage marks the maximum lifespan of a human being. The erogenous zone, of course is the genitals but influenced by the sexual hormones secreted. The main difference between the phallic and genital stage is that the ego in the genital stage gets well established and hence the adolescent could shift his /her primary instinctual gratification by means of secondary process thinking aided in the latency stage. This secondary process of thinking allows them to gratify their desire by means of friendship, love relationship, family and adult responsibilities. The major goal of any adolescent at this stage is to establish successful relationship with peers. If this goal is not achieved the adolescent gets fixated and tend to have unsuccessful relationships as an

IMPLICATIONS ON LEARNING AND TEACHING

With the discovery of the unconscious level of awareness, Freud has contributed a lot to psychology and learning, though his theory was not accepted in all aspects. The implications are as follows

• The unconscious domain of the human mind as identified by Freud, serves as an intrinsic motivation for every child to learn and explore the environment.

• The idea of Freud on inner conflict that affects one’s behaviour gains importance in teaching on the part of the teacher. The teacher has to realize her foremost duy in putting in more efforts to solve the inner conflicts among children by providing ample attention towards their certain important needs.

For example, in the latency stage, play is the only source of directing their impulse. Hence sufficient opportunities should be provided by the teacher to every child, as children spend most of their waking time in school

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