PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

Personality is developed at a very early age and all childhood experiences contribute to the development of an individual. Sigmund Freuds theory on psychosexual development, despite being controversial is also well-known. According to him, everyone undergoes a series of psychosexual stages that shape the core personalities of a person. During these stages, the id, which is an unconscious personality component that satisfies a persons basic urges, become focus on certain areas called erogenous zones. The psychosexual energy, or libido is responsible for an individuals behavior. If a certain stage in psychosexual development is not fully achieved, fixation occurs. This is when an individual becomes fixated on a certain stage and until it is resolved, a person is stuck on this stage. This may result into certain types of behavior.

The first psychosexual stage is called The Oral Stage with the mouth serving as the erogenous zone. The libido is focused on activities like tasting, chewing and sucking. Infants during this stage earn sexual gratification from the aforementioned oral stimulating activities. This is also when infants start to develop trust and comfort since they are entirely dependent on parents or elders. However, infants often become overly dependent on their caretakers, which becomes the primary conflict during this stage. Fixation during this stage may result to an overly dependent and aggressive individual. Oral fixation may also be depicted through problems with drinking, smoking and nail biting.

Children aged 1 to 3 gain sexual excitement through bowel movement and bladder control during so-called The Anal Stage. During this stage, children need to learn to control not only their bladder and bowel movement but also their other bodily needs. This stage more often than not depends on the parents attitude towards potty training. Freud believed that indulgent parents in terms of toilet training may teach their child to develop an anal-expulsive personality or a wasteful and destructive personality. However, strict toilet training may cause a child to develop an anal-retentive personality in which an individual is orderly, rigid and obsessive.

The Phallic Stage is concentrated on children aged 3- 6 .During this stage, genitals grant them sexual excitement. This is when they start to differentiate males from females. According to Freud, at this age, boys start to develop feelings of possessiveness towards their mothers and of wanting to replace their fathers, which he characterized as The Oedipus Complex. However, boys feel that they will be punished for those feelings, which Freud called Castration Anxiety. Similarly, girls start to become possessive of their father, which is called The Electra Complex. They also fear punishment for having those feelings which is called Penis Envy.

During the age of 6 until puberty, the sexual feelings of children become suddenly inactive in the so-called Latent Period. The libido or psychosexual energy is still present at this age, however, they become focused and directed on school activities and hobbies. This is when children become wrapped up on social interactions and intellectual quests. Therefore, this stage is vital in the development of an individuals confidence and social skills.

The last stage, called The Genital Stage is experienced during puberty until death. This is when sexual interests start to mature. If the other stages were completed, the individual has now developed a balanced and a relatively good personality. The Genital Stage then focuses on the balance of other life areas.