FREUD’S PSYCHOANALYTIC
THEORY
“THE EGO IS NOT MASTER IN ITS OWN HOUSE.” –SIGMUND FREUD
PSYCHOANALYSIS
A method of explaining and treating mental and emotional
problems by having the patient about dreams, feelings,
memories, et.
• Freud’s views about human development are more than a
century old. He can be considered the most well known
psychologist because of his very interesting theory about
the unconscious and also about sexual development.
Although a lot of his views were criticized and some
considered them debunked, (he himself recanted some of
his earlier views). Freud’s theory remains to be one of the
most influential in psychology. His theory sparked the
ideas in the brilliant minds of other theorists and thus
became the starting point of many other theories, notable
of which is Erikson’s Psychosocial theory in Module 7.
SIGMUND FREUD
• As a person grows, the personality is also formed. Many
psychologists present different views about how personality
develops. As mentioned. Freud presents a very interesting
theory about personality, its components and development.
Read on and hopefully it will also somehow lead you to
understand more your own personality.
FREUD’S STAGES OF
PSYCHOSEXUAL
DEVELOPMENT
1. ORAL STAGE (BIRTH TO 18 MONTHS).
• The erogenous zone is the mouth. During the oral stage, the child is focused on oral pleasures (sucking).
• Too much or too little satisfaction can lead to an Oral Fixation or Oral Personality which is shown in an
increased focus on oral activities.
• This type of personality may be oral receptive, that is, have a stronger tendency to smoke, drink alcohol,
overeat, or oral aggressive, that is, with a tendency to bite his or her nails, or use curse words or even gossip.
• As a result, these persons may become too dependent on others, easily fooled, and lack leadership traits. On
the other hand, they may also fight these tendencies and become pessimistic and aggressive in relating with
people.
2. ANAL STAGE (18 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS).
• The child’s focus of pleasure in this stage is the anus. The child finds satisfaction in eliminating and retaining
feces.
• Through society's expectations, particularly the parents, the child needs to work on toilet training. Let us
remember that between one year and a half to three years the child's favorite word might be "No!".
• Therefore a struggle might exist in the toilet training process when the child retains feces when asked to
eliminate, or may choose to defecate when asked to hold feces for some reason.
• In terms of personality, fixation during this stage can result in being anal retentive, an obsession with
cleanliness, perfection, and control; or anal expulsive where the person may become messy and disorganized.
3. PHALLIC STAGE (AGES 3 TO 6).
• The pleasure or erogenous zone is the genitals. During the preschool age, children become interested in what
makes boys and girls different. Preschoolers will sometimes be seen fondling their genitals.
• Freud’s studies led him to believe that during this stage boys develop unconscious sexual desire for their
mother. Boys then see their father as a rival for her mother’s affection. Boys may fear that their father will
punish them for these feelings, thus, the castration anxiety.
• These feelings comprise what Freud called Oedipus Complex. In Greek Mythology, Oedipus unintentionally
killed his father and married his mother Jocasta.
• Psychoanalysts also believed that girls may also have a similar experience, developing unconscious sexual
attraction towards their father This is what is referred to as the Electra Complex.
• According to Freud, out of fear of castration and due to the strong competition
of their father. Boys eventually decide to identify with them rather than fight
them.
• By identifying with their father, the boys develop masculine characteristics and
identify themselves as males and repress their sexual feelings toward their
mother.
• A fixation at this stage could result in sexual deviancies (both overindulging and
avoidance) and weak or confused sexual identity according to psychoanalysts.
4. LATENCY STAGE (AGE 6 TO PUBERTY).
• It’s during this stage that sexual urges remain repressed. The
children’s focus is the acquisition of physical and academic
skills. Boys usually relate more with boys and girls with girls
during this stage.
5. GENITAL STAGE (PUBERTY ONWARDS).
• The fifth stage of psychosexual development begins at the start of
puberty when sexual urges are once again awakened. In the earlier
stages, adolescents focus their sexual urges towards the opposite
sex peers, with the pleasure centered on the genitals.
