Sigmund Freud developed his influential theory of psychosexual development at the beginning of the 20th century. This theory divides an individual's development into five separate stages that occur during a lifetime. At each stage of development, the individual focuses on a different part of the body. Freud believed that each stage must be successfully completed or the person would become fixated in that stage, which would create issues later in their lives. The successful individual, Freud said, would be able to navigate each stage without becoming fixated, and would be able to develop healthy relationships with the opposite sex.
Oral Stage
According to Freud, the oral stage of development begins at birth and continues for the first 18 months of life. This first developmental stage is marked by physical aspects of sucking including the mouth, tongue and lips. At this stage of life sucking equals food and comfort. Individuals who do not progress past this stage will have an "oral fixation" and will be prone to overeating, drinking, smoking or chewing on their nails, Freud believed. Oral-fixated individuals could, according to Freud's theory, become dependent upon others, gullible and perpetual followers. The orally fixated individual who fought these desires, Freud said, would be pessimistic and aggressive toward others. The main conflict during this time was believed to be the weaning of the child off the mother's breast.
Anal Stage
The anal stage of development, according to Freud's theory, occurs between 18 months and three years of age. This stage, Freud said, is marked by the requirement to control the bowels. The anal stage is not just limited to bowel control but also urge controls that parents begin placing on children of this age. Fixation in this stage, according to Freud, could lead to anal retentive personalities if parents were too strict, or obsessed with cleanliness or order; or to anal explosives, if parents were not strict enough, and were sloppy and disorganized.
Phallic Stage
Freud's phallic stage begins at age 3 and runs through the age of 6. During this stage, in Freud's view, the focus of the child moves to the genitals, specifically the penis. Boys and girls wonder why girls do not have a penis. During this stage, Freud said, males begin to have sexual feelings for their mothers. They see their fathers as competitors and fear castration, which results in the Oedipus complex. Boys will identify with their fathers and repress their feelings for their mothers to move past this stage. Fixation at this stage, Freud said, can lead to sexual deviance or weak and confused sexual identities.
Latency Stage
Freud's latency stage is between the age of six and the onset of puberty. The latency stage is not an actual stage of the psychosexual development of the individual as the other stages are. Instead, the latency stage is a dormancy period, during which the child typically plays with children of the same gender. The sexual urges of the individual remain repressed throughout this stage, in Freud's view.
Genital Stage
The genital stage, according to Freud, occurs after puberty has begun. Again the center of focus is on the genitals. If the individual has progressed successfully through all other stages, the person will be able to have successful heterosexual relationships, according to Freud. If the individual remains fixated at other stages, specifically the phallic stage, the individual will have trouble forming normal relationships, in Freud's view. Those who achieve the genital stage, Freud contended, are well-adjusted and balanced individuals.
