Psychological Fixations and How They Form

Is the adult you stuck in an unresolved stage of childhood development?

For example, individuals with oral fixations may have problems with drinking, smoking, eating, or nail-biting.

The id drives the libido, seeking out the most pleasurable situations possible.

So what does this have to do with the development of a fixation?

How this conflict is resolved plays a role in the formation of adult personality.

Failing to successfully complete a stage, Freud suggested, would cause that person to remain essentially stuck.

In other words, they would become fixated at that point in development.

Resolving the psychosexual conflicts requires a considerable amount of the libidos energy.

Examples of Fixations

There are multiple ways the three fixations mentioned above may manifest in different individuals.

Fixations at this point in development can lead to what Freud called anal-retentive and anal-expulsive personalities.

At this stage, boys may develop what Freud referred to as anOedipus complex.

Girls may develop an analogous issue known as anElectra complex.

If not resolved, these complexes may linger and continue to affect behavior into adulthood.

So how exactly are fixations resolved?

According toFreud’s psychoanalytic theory, theprocess of transferenceplays an important role in treating such fixations.

This allows them to help their client bring their unconscious feelings from their past into conscious awareness.

If you do opt to see a therapist, be sure you feel comfortable around them and trust them.

Fixations were critical to Freudian and manyneo-Freudian theories.

Freud S.Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis.1910.

Freud S.Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality.Basic Books; 1962.