Like any theory that is proposed, it is important that we make use of our critical thinking, this means questioning what is proposed to us from different perspectives, such as, for example, asking ourselves where the psychosexual theory comes from, who founded it, why they did it and at what point I developed it.
In this Psychology-Online article we will explain the stages of psychosexual development according to Freud’s theorytrying to expand the historical context and circumstances of the time in order to provide a broader vision of the issues that gave rise to this theory.
Context of Freud’s Theory
He was an Austrian of Jewish origin, a neurologist, belonging to a bourgeois society. In 1885 Freud moved to Paris to study with the renowned neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, creator of the theories on hysteria that Freud later used as his own after requesting permission to translate them into German. After this study and reappropriation of hysteria, Sigmund Freud became interested in evocation of primary traumasthus focusing on the origin of the disorder, he named this psychoanalysis.
In the beginning, Freud carried out a thesis on childhood sexualitya very controversial topic in the social environment in which it was located, even today it is a difficult topic to read about, since sexuality is still partly a taboo topic and even more so if we enter the field of childhood sexuality, referring to its development since childhood.
Freud was well aware that controversy It was a great tool to make himself known and he exploited it to the maximum to carve out a recognition post in his time. Although it is true that today he is one of the best-known names in psychology, Freud was not so well regarded by the bourgeois society to which he belonged, in reality social recognition came to him shortly before he died and it was thanks to his nephew Edward Bernays.
Bernays was a resident of the United States, he was the precursor of Public Relations and a great publicist. To support his theories about advertising and mass manipulation he used Freud’s psychoanalytic theories about and the primary impulses. Thanks to the dissemination of this theory to support his advertising theories, Freud achieved the renown that he had always desired, thus becoming the “father of psychoanalysis”.
Once the context is understood and understanding that psychoanalysis is based on the hypothesis that , it is logical that its theory goes back to the earliest stages of the individual.
On the other hand, it is interesting to understand Freud’s vision of childhood, considered that the child was conscious of perversion, that is, any act carried out by the child was conscious and with the intention of achieving something. This is reflected in a fragment of his work Three Essays on Sexual Theory:
It is instructive that under the influence of seduction the child can become a polymorphous pervert, being led astray to practice all possible transgressions. This shows that in her disposition she brings with her the aptitude for it; Such transgressions encounter little resistance because, depending on the age of the child, the emotional dams against sexual excesses: shame, disgust and morality have not yet been erected or are in formation. (…) it is impossible not to recognize something common to all human beings, something that has its origins in the uniform disposition to all perversions.
The idea of the child as perverse shows a rigidity of thought that has done much damage to psychology, creating blame and confusing roles in both children and adults. If it is unconsciously believed that the child “seeks” a sexuality as we understand it in adulthood, the adult automatically blames the minor for “inappropriate” sexual attitudes or even in possible cases of abuse, since they are based on the belief. of the minor’s intentionality. And precisely this is the thought that psychoanalysis has transmitted about sexuality.
Studies show that critical thinking develops around the age of 10, beginning cognitive development in an objective and analytical way of the world around us. This does not mean that at the age of 10 we are able to psychologically understand attitudes, behaviors, values, beliefs, roles, etc., but that at that age, more or less, is when we begin to develop cognitively and be able to interact with others. the environment in a more conscious way.
Stages of psychosexual development according to Freud
The Freud’s stages of psychosexual development that define the adult personality are the following:
- Oral stage
- anal stage
- phallic stage
- Latency stage
- genital stage
Below I will leave a brief explanation of each of the stages of the psychosexual development on Freud’s theory.
Oral stage (0 – 15 months)
According to Freud, this stage is located in the first 15 months of life. In it, Freud related the satisfaction of libido directly to the mouth; at this stage the baby relates mainly to the environment. through the mouth thus obtaining pleasure.
One of the key moments in this stage that could cause a disorder upon reaching adulthood was the moment when weaned the infantcausing the feeling of loss and abandonment, if this transition was carried out abruptly it could affect the construction of the personality. In the same way, the impediment of exploration through the baby’s mouth could cause the development of a disorder related to passive dependency or envy problems and manipulative personalities.
Anal stage (15 months – 3 years)
Freud maintained that the end of one stage gave way to another immediately, therefore the anal stage began from 15 months to 3 years. At this stage the baby begins to learn the sphincter controlin their theories, depending on whether the learning was natural or abrupt on the part of the adults who taught, the infant could develop different disorders depending on how traumatic the learning had been.
In this learning two forces were involved, on the one hand the satisfaction of the primary urge to defecate (related to the It), against the demands of adults who prevented this act from occurring naturally. If the learning was done in a gradual and comprehensive way, according to this theory there should not be any problem in the development of the Self, but if on the contrary the education was too demanding or permissive it could lead to a very disciplinary and rigid personality or on the contrary very disorganized and passive.
Phallic stage (3 – 6)
Freud’s third stage is comprised between 3 and 6 years of age. In this period the infant begins the discovery of his own body and with it his genitals corresponding. This individual curiosity is intertwined with curiosity in other bodies, such as that of the mother or father, in differences and similarities.
This stage is the most commonly known since it can be derived from the one related to the men and the, for the women. This complex is based on the awareness of oneself and the need for possession of the other, Freud differentiated:
- In the case of the childthe psychological attitude was to possess the mother, so the father became a rival.
- While in the case of girls the desire for possession was the father, turning the mother into the enemy.
This desire for possession of the mother and rivalry with the father (although Freud specifically referred to girls and the possibility of experiencing this complex, he did not consider female sexuality as such, therefore, he did not believe it was necessary to talk about it, hence their theories are focused on men) meant that if the separateness felt with the mother was very strong, the personality would be built on an emotional block, returning to the adult, , or as Freud described it with castration complex. On the other hand, if the child tried to overcome paternal rivalry and acquired personality traits from the father, he could overcome this castration complex and approach paternal approval.
Latency stage (6 years – puberty)
In Freud’s fourth stage, he develops between 6 years and puberty. This period is related to the consolidation of what was acquired in the previous stages and the integration in the construction of the Ego, but this process happens in the unconscious since the impulses in the first three stages are blocked. Freud related the neuroses caused in this stage due to poor resolutions of the previous stages. In this period the individual seeks pleasure in a social waywith the greatest possible integration in social relationships or the acquisition of knowledge.
Genital stage (puberty – adulthood)
Freud’s last stage is the genital stage, which begins at puberty until adulthood, encompassing sexual development in a full and adult manner. It is at this stage that the adult can create a psychosexual independence, independent of their parents and leaving the desires for childhood satisfaction. In this period the abstract construction of the relationships with othersconsidering the unions at a cognitive and symbolic level.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Charcot, J. (2003) Hysteria. Jaén: Lunar Editions
- Freud, S. (2012) Three essays on sexual theory and other writings. Madrid: Alliance.
- Fromm, E. (2004) The fear of freedom. Buenos Aires: Paidós.
- Jung, C. (2000) Freud and psychoanalysis. Madrid: Trotta Publishing House.