A STUDY ON FREUD’S PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

A STUDY ON FREUD’S PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

ANURADHA AGRAWAL, AYUSH BHATTACHARYA, SARTHAK PARASRAMKA

IFIM College, Bangalore

Dr.NAGARATHNA M L

Assistant Professor, IFIM College, Bangalore

Abstract:

The idea of psychosexual development, rooted in Sigmund Freud's clinical studies, is a fundamental aspect of psychodynamic personality theory. Freud emphasized the significance of early childhood experiences in shaping an individual's character and overall development. According to this theory, individuals progress through distinct stages of development, which are marked by shifts in their libidinal energy. These stages are believed to have a lasting impact on the individual's psychological well-being.One significant aspect of Freud's theory is the recognition of children's expression of sexual desires, challenging prevailing societal beliefs at the time. Based on his empirical findings, Freud argued that sexuality in children should be acknowledged and considered in understanding human behavior. This controversial idea has since become widely accepted in the field of psychology, shaping our understanding of human development. In summary, the concept of psychosexual development, influenced by Freud's clinical observations, highlights the significance of early experiences in shaping an individual's character. It underscores the importance of resolving conflicts and satisfying desires during different stages of development, providing insights into the origins of psychiatric disorders. Additionally, Freud's recognition of children's sexuality challenged societal norms, paving the way for a more comprehensive understanding of human psychology.

Keywords: Freud’s, development, clinical, psychodexual

Introduction

The idea of psychosexual development, which is also known as principle of libidinal development, is one of the oldest theories explaining how an individual grows in human beings. This idea owes its belief to the findings of Sigmund Freud’s clinical studies with emotionally troubled humans. The idea of psychosexual development is an essential part of the psychodynamic personality theory proposed by using Freud. Freud considered the first psychological theorist to own and emphasized the characteristics of character development and therefore the determining position of early lessons from childhood and early life in setting the important male or female status of an older character. According to Freud, the character goes through a series of degrees of development that are strongly divided over a lifetime, which can be seen with the help of awesome working techniques. The concept suggests that degeneration among special grades, especially throughout adolescence, plays an important role within the aetiology of psychiatric disorders involving psychiatric disorders. Based entirely on his early studies with people with emotional disorders, Freud found that symptoms of mental disorders during adulthood are associated with the frustration of arousing intuition. Such frustration often occurs prematurely because it is the first year of life and is

maintained throughout adolescence. Freud turned out to be the reason why it was accepted as fact and that children have confirmed the manifestation of sexual desires when any human belief needs to take the sexuality of children under attention.

Concept of Sexuality

Aссоrding to Freud, sex is an essential element of life for most of vitals in а рersоn. Freud stated that to him sex instinct is centred around variety of bodily needs that рrоduсe to erotic wishes. If you wish for this, you wish to have your time during bodily region stated as erogenous zones. An erogenous zone соuld is а раrt of the skin or muсоsа which is extremely sensitive to irritation and which when manipulated at the time а сertаin way produces pleasurable feelings and experiences. The lips and mouth, аnаl region, and therefore the sex оrgаns are samples of erogenous zones. Therefore, sucking рrоduсe оrаl рleаsure, elimination аnаl рleаsure, and rubbing genital рleаsure. In short, Freud has reintroduced sexual homosexuality. He used the word libido to refer to the fоrсe by which the sexual instinct re-established within the mind.

In essence Freud used the term sexuality to refer to the erotic lifetime of the individual. Aссоrding to him, sexuality isn't а matter for adults аlоne but also infantile it's all-pervasive and соvers all those activities and sensations that are pleasurable and аffоrd sensual grаtifiсаtiоn. Freud noted that infants were сараble of erotic activity from birth оnwаrd. The earliest manifestation of infantile sexuality arises in reference to bodily functions like feeding and elimination of body wastes. Of all the соnсeрts of Freud, the соnсeрts he advanced with relation to the erotic lifetime of infants and young children аrоused severe criticism from different corners.

Psychosexual Developmental Phases

Personality development occurs through continuous instigation of the life instinct. To have sex as the most important human desire, engaging in a number of sensual activities can be a prerequisite for the desire for life. Sex can be a natural desire, which should be enjoyed. When it does, it creates tension and, in turn, results in satisfaction. The initial appearances of sexuality appear in regard to bodily functions, which are basically nonsexual, like feeding and removal of body wastes. Each individual passes through a series of stages during the primary five years of life, following which for a period of 5 or six years the dynamics become more or less stabilized. With the arrival of adolescence, the dynamics erupt again then gradually calm down as a teenager moves into the stage of adulthood. For Freud, the primary five years of life are decisive for the formation of personality.

Each stage of growth is defined in terms of the mode of reaction of a specific zone of the body. During the primary 18 months of life of a new-born baby, the mouth works because the principal region of dynamic activity. Hence this stage is named oral phase . The oral phase is continued by getting pleasure near the eliminative functions, it's therefore, called the anal phase . This lasts for 18 months and is replaced by the phallic phase in which the sex organs become the leading erogenous zones. During these stages, the mucosa of the mouth, anus and external genitalia become the main target of child’s erotic life relying on the stage of development. At the end of the fifth year, the child undergoes into latency stage , where the sexual desires are held during a state of repression. With the onset of adolescence, the pregenital impulses are reactivated and therefore the person passes into the genital phase of development. allow us to learn thoroughly about these

stages.

Oral Phase

This stage lasts eighteen months from the birth of a baby. The primary source of pleasure derived by the kid during this stage is breastfeeding. Sucking involves tactual stimulation of mouth also as swallowing. Later when the teeth grow the mouth is used by the kid for biting and chewing. Since the kid is primarily concerned about seeking pleasure, he/she needs immediate gratification of the requirements the necessity of the infant in seeking pleasure is satisfactorily met with by sucking the breast of the mother because the erotic drive is localized within the mouth. Since gratification of needs at this stage depends on mother, she becomes the primary love object for the kid . Feeding at the mother’s breast is that the most vital activity, both physiologically and psychologically for the young child. Because of this, psychoanalysts refer to the time from birth to eight months as the oral sucking period. With the growing of teeth, the child enters another stage of their development called oral biting stage. During the oral biting stage, the way of deriving pleasure becomes improved. Its causes are biting , sucking, and swallowing. It's held that the 2 modes of oral activity i.e., sucking and swallowing and biting/chewing are the examples for several later personality qualities that develop.

Anal Phase

This stage starts when the kid is around one and a half years old and ends when she is three years aged . During the first half of the anus phase there is a pleasant sensation of discharge and over time there is a stimulating stimulus of the genital mucosa by stool retention. This category is divided into two smaller spaces, namely, the anal expulsive period and therefore the anal retention period. The anal expulsive phase goes through the closing stages of the oral period. Here the mode of deriving pleasure for the kid is that the expulsion of faeces. The expulsion of the faeces removes discomfort and produces a sense of relief. At the beginning of toilet training, the child has his or her first experience of external control of natural desire. The kid needs to learn to postpone the pleasure that comes from relieving anal tensions. During the anal retention period, the kid is anticipated to accede to the stress of loo training. the kid must learn to cherish from retention than expulsion. Depending upon the actual method of loo training used by the mother and her feelings concerning defecation, the results of loo training have far reaching effects upon the formation of specific personality traits and values.

Phallic Phase

This stage begins when the kid becomes three years old and continues until the kid is five years. During this stage rudiments of sex are often seen within the child. Children are often seen playing with their genitals to relieve tension and derives pleasure. Erotic activity is initially linked both psychologically and physically with the activities and sensations related to urination. Urination is a crucial activity because it helps the kid to consolidate its personal identity. A boy understands that he's a boy; similarly, a girl understands that she is a girl initially from the method of urination. During the phallic phase development sexual feelings related to the functioning of genital organs come into focus. The pleasures of twiddling with the genitals and therefore the fantasy of the kid set the stage for the looks of Oedipus and Electra complexes in boys and girls, respectively. The

Oedipus complex is called after the Greek king of Thebes who killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus complex consists of a sexual attachment for the parent of the other sex and a hostile feeling for the parent of an equivalent sex. The boy wants to possess his mother and take away his father. According to Electra complex girls wants to have her father and shift the mother. These feelings express themselves within the child’s fantasies during the act of masturbation. The emergence of the Oedipus and Electra complexes are considered to be is that the chief events of the phallic phase .

In Oedipus complex a boy has incestuous longing for the mother and a growing resentment toward the father. He imagines that his father is going to harm him. Intimidations from an angry and punishing father may confirm this fear. His fears concerning what the father may do to him is centred on his genital organs because it is that the source of his attachment to the mother. The boy fears that the father will castrate him. This fear of castration helps a toddler to resolve his Oedipus complex , as he doesn't want to lose his genitals. anxiety induces a repression of the physical attraction for the mother and hostility toward the father. It also helps to cause identification along with his father. By identifying along with his father, the son converts his erotic feelings for the mother into harmless affection for the mother. Oedipus complex seems to symbolise the pinnacle of the development of infantile sexuality. In Electra complex , a girl child exchanges her love object, the mother, for a replacement object, the father. This takes place in a girl when she discovers that she is less equipped than a boy, as she doesn't possess a protruding reproductive organ , the penis. She holds her mother liable for this and starts hating her for having brought her into the world less equipped than a boy. She transfers her like to the father because he has the valued organ, which she aspires to share with him. However, her love for the father is mixed with a sense of envy because he possesses what she lacks. A girl fulfils her incestuous attachment for her father by identifying the realistic barriers that stops her from satisfying her physical attraction for the father. According to Freud, the differences in resolution of Oedipus and Electra complexes are the idea for several psychological differences between the sexes.

Latency Phase

According to Freud, at the close of fifth year infantile sexuality is gradually repressed both due to the fear of the social consequences and since of the belief that the love object is unattainable. During the amount of about 5 or 6 years the kid isn't consciously concerned with sexual matters. because the literal meaning of the word ‘latency’ suggests, sexual urges are hidden during this stage. Child’s active interest turns increasingly outward. During this era , the sexual urges are diverted into recreational, academic, and social pursuits. the kid learns to behave in society and acquires her ideals. Eroticism is overtly manifested in the kind of attachment to parents and friends. Interest within the female is at very low ebb. the kid spends all her energy to excel and prove herself. Child’s energy is diverted towards developing a way of competence. During this stage of development, a child’s sexual urges are subordinated to the intellectual pursuits. Psychoanalysis has little or no to mention about personality development following the phallic phase . It, however, does analyses the genital phase of development.

Genital Phase

This stage begins with the onset of adolescence. During genital phase sexual feelings reappear with new intensity and in additional mature form. As a result, selflove of the kid gets channelized

into genuine heterosexual relationships. Sexual attraction, socialization, group activities, career planning, and marriage and family planning arrangements are just beginning to emerge. By the top of adolescence these concerns become fairly well established. A person is transformed from a quest for pleasure seeking, self-centred infant to a morally upright adult. The principal biological function of the genital phase is that of reproduction.

Fixation

Fixation is defined as the persistent attachment of the sexual organ to a specific stage of prenatal development. It can occur in any of the psychosexual developmental stages except the last one. Within the course of development, it's expected that the kid makes natural transition from one stage to subsequent at the bottom of a specific stage. Child’s ability to forgo her attachment for the love object during a specific developmental stage for an additional promised but not guaranteed love object could be a necessary condition for development of a healthy personality. Freud concluded that fixation adversely affects personality development. It's going to be noted that the behavioural manifestations of fixation vary according to the stage of psychosexual development during which fixation takes place as an example the inability of a child to leave the mother as a romantic object during the oral phase results in the formation of behaviours such as thumb sucking, excessive drinking, smoking etc. These behavioural patterns help a person to maintain the erotic attachment with the love object of oral phase whereby he/she continues to enjoy stimulation from the area of lips and mouth. Similarly, fixation can occur during anal, phallic and latency stages also.

Significance of Psychosexual Stages for the development of Personality

Many of our personality traits and behaviour patterns are rooted within the stages of psychosexual development. Psychoanalysis looks at the behaviour of adults because it is a product of the psychosexual stages of adolescence. According to Freud, individuals subsume sex energy into their behaviour through the psychological processes of displacement, sublimation, and defence mechanism as an example, the sexual fantasies of an adult are considered as a carryover of phallic genitality. Similarly, over cleanliness or overemphasis on order and punctuality is considered as defence mechanism against the anal phase of infantile psychosexuality. The method of psychosexual genesis is one amongst dialectical growth. It can lead to the development of normal or abnormal behaviours depending on one's experience at different stages of psychosexual development.

Personality Traits Developed During Oral Phase

Activities in the oral stage of sucking and swallowing are examples of a number of traits that develop during the following years in a person's life. Pleasure derived from oral incorporation could also be displaced to other modes of incorporation like the pleasure gained from acquiring knowledge or possessions. Biting or oral aggression could also be displaced within the kind of sarcasm and argumentativeness. By displacements and sublimations of varied kinds, also as by defences against the primitive oral impulses, these prototypic modes of oral functioning provide the idea for the development of vast networks of interests, attitudes, and character traits.

Since the oral phase occurs at a time when the infant is totally depended on mother for sustenance the emotions of dependency arise during this period. If she succeeds in fulfilling the requirements

of the kid at this time, dependency results in acquiring the virtue of hope. Feeling of hope is characterized by the idea that the requirements are going to be taken care of properly by its mother. This belief helps the kid to enter into a trusting, warm relationship with its mother, which ultimately results in optimism in life. A nurturing and warm bond between mother and therefore the child during this period sets the stage for trusting and affectionate relationship with others in later life. Rejection by mother or undue frustration experienced by the kid resulting from non-fulfilment of his needs can cause pessimism and mistrust in later life. it's within the oral stage that a child’s attachment to crucial people in his environment and his feelings of affection or hate toward these people develop. If a fundamentally warm relationship between mother and child has been established during this period, the stage is going to be set for the development of trusting and affectionate ties with others in later life.

If optimism is common in individuals who are strongly fixated within the oral sucking period, pessimism is that trait of individuals who have not properly resolved the frustrations of the oral biting stage. In extreme cases this pessimism may go completely out of normal bounds and become psychological depression. Thus, even within the primary year some of the important characteristics of personality are established.

Personality Traits Developed During Anal Phase

According to psychoanalysis, ego development is complete during the anal phase . As a result, sense of reality overbears pleasure seeking within the child. Maternal care together with the conflicts surrounding toilet training alters the direction of delight seeking for the kid . Compulsive neatness seen in some individuals is usually seen as a kind of regression to the anal phase . Depending upon the actual method of loo training utilized by the mother and her feelings concerning defecation, the implications of this training may have far reaching effects upon the formation of specific personality traits. If the mother is extremely strict and brutal in her methods of kid nurturing, the kid may hold back its faeces and become constipated. If this mode of reaction generalizes to other ways of behaving, the kid will develop a retentive character it'll become obstinate and stingy in its character. Instead, if the kid vents its rage by expelling faeces at the foremost inappropriate times, expulsive traits like cruelty, destructiveness, temper tantrums, disorderliness etc. are developed. Thus, the idea for an outsized number of behaviour traits is laid down during the anal phase.

Toilet training is a very important activity because it results in development of values and traits in a person the kid learns to bring the erotic gratification resulting from excretion to social control. Normal continuations of the anal expulsive period include an interest in bowels, bowel habits, and daily bowel movements. Some people are so concerned with the bowels that this becomes pivotal to their individual personalities. Failure in solving of anal conflicts results in compulsiveness of character traits, which are called anal character. Anal character is characterized by traits like excessive devotion to details, and unevenness of character resulting in easy anger outbursts.

Personality Traits Developed During Phallic Phase

The behaviour of the kid during phallic phase is marked to an excellent extent by the operation of the Oedipus complex . Although it's modified after the age of 5 , it remains an important force within the personality throughout life. Attitudes toward the other sex and toward people in authority are largely conditioned by the Oedipus complex . Suppression of Oedipus complex

makes the superego to undergo its final development. According to Freud, the differences within the resolution of Oedipus and Electra complexes are the bases for differences in male and female personalities in later life. Freud considered females to be weak, dependent, and inferior basically due to the development of penis envy. This view is criticized worldwide, and the criticism was led by Karen Horney, another influential psychoanalyst.

Of all the psychosexual developmental stages, phallic phase is that the most eventful one. Developments during this stage influence the personality markedly. The transition from Oedipal strivings to adult sexuality may be a prerequisite of normal development. Failure to resolve Oedipus complex is seen as the nucleus of adult neurosis. According to Freud, neuroses are characterized by an unconscious clinging to the Oedipal tendencies

Personality Traits Developed During Latency and Phases

Freud was so much preoccupied with the kinds of infantile sexuality and its influence on the psychological development of an individual . Due to which, Freud was not able to write much on how the ways of development during these two stages relate to personality. Psychoanalysis has not given much emphasis on these two stages as compared to the primary three stages of development. Developments in latency phase help the kid to accumulate a way of competency and industry. Competency feelings and sincerity develop as a results of the advantages earned by the kid from distracting its urges to several nonsexual activities like recreational, academic, and social pursuits. With the diversion of a child’s active interest to those activities, it gets a chance to outdo, prove themselves and be creative.

The genitals phase, which begins about the beginning of adolescence, is a time when group activities, skills planning, and family life preparation take place. By the end of adolescence, these socialized, altruistic feelings are well established. A person is transformed from a pleasure seeking, an aggressive infant into a morally degraded adult, and to relationships.

Conclusion

The theory of psychosexual development proposed by Freud is one amongst the foremost prominent psychoanalytic theories of personality. This theory views at psychological development of people over five different stages. Through this section we have tried to identify the various stages of psychosexual development and how these stages influence the course of human development. We've also got to learn about the concepts of sexuality and fixation.

As we have learned during this unit, the individual passes through a series of dynamically differentiated stages during the lifetime , which play a decisive role within the formation of personality. These stages are called oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital stages. During each of those stages the individual engages in a form of erotic activities that stimulate and satisfy life instinct. we've seen thoroughly the erogenous zones in each stage of development and therefore the nature of erotic activity engaged by the kid within the different stages.

While discussing the importance of those stages for the development of personality we've noted that individuals subsume sex energy into their behaviour through the psychological processes of continuation, displacement, sublimation, and reaction formation. we've also seen that the method of psychosexual genesis is one that involves dialectical growth. It can result in development of normal or abnormal pattern of behaviour depending upon the experiences the individual had during the various psychosexual developmental stages. As explained with the help of examples, the

development of abnormal behaviours is considered to be shaped by the nature of the disorder that occurs during a particular stage of development.

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