He also believed that childhood experiences shape human personality in powerful ways.
An erogenous zone is a region of the body that is particularly sensitive to stimulation.
Psychosexual energy, or thelibido, was described as the driving force behind behavior.
Illustration by Joshua Seong, Verywell
Psychoanalytic theory suggests that personality is mostly established by the age of five.
Early experiences play a large role in personality development and continue to influence behavior later in life.
If these psychosexual stages are completed successfully, ahealthy personalityis the result.
If certain issues are not resolved at the appropriate stage,fixationscan occur.
A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage.
Until this conflict is resolved, the individual will remain “stuck” in this stage.
The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process–the child must become less dependent upon caretakers.
If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues with dependency oraggression.
Oral fixation can result in problems with drinking, eating, smoking, or nail-biting.
The major conflict at this stage is toilet trainingthe child has to learn to control their bodily needs.
Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
According to Freud, success at this stage depends on how parents approach toilet training.
However, not all parents provide the support and encouragement that children need during this stage.
Some parents punish, ridicule, or shame a child for accidents.
According to Freud, inappropriate parental responses can result in negative outcomes.
At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between males and females.
The termElectra complexhas been used to describe a similar set of feelings experienced by young girls.
Freud, however, believed that girls instead experiencepenis envy.
Psychologists such asKaren Horneydisputed this theory, calling it both inaccurate and demeaning to women.
Children develop social skills, values, and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family.
The development of theegoandsuperegocontributes to this period of calm.
The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy isrepressedor dormant.
This stage is important in the development of social and communication skills and self-confidence.
Fixation at this stage can result in immaturity and an inability to form fulfilling relationships as an adult.
The Genital Stage
The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again.
The goal of this stage is to establish a balance between the various life areas.
Younger children are ruled by theid, which demands immediate satisfaction of the most basic needs and wants.
So how exactly did Freud explain the development of sexual preferences?
Unlike many thinkers of his time, Freud was unconvinced that homosexuality represented a pathology.
He also believed that attempts to alter a person’s sexuality were usually futile and often harmful.
Freud’s theory also stressed the importance of early experiences in development.
Take a Pop Quiz!
2024;16(10):e71562.
doi:10.7759/cureus.71562
Lantz SE, Ray S.Freud’s developmental theory.
Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; December 5, 2022.
Silverman DK.Psychosexual stages of development(Freud).
In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
Springer International Publishing; 2017:1-5. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1417-1
Haslam N.Anal expulsive/anal retentive personality.
In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
Springer International Publishing; 2016:1-2. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1357-1
Boothe B.Oedipus complex.
In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
2023;15(6):e40216.
doi:10.7759/cureus.40216
de Kuyper E.The Freudian construction of sexuality: The gay foundations of heterosexuality and straight homophobia.J Homosex.
1993;24(3-4):137-144. doi:10.1300/J082v24n03_10
