INTRODUCTION
Psychosexual
development is a theory that however seeks to justify the claim that boys have
a natural linking for their mothers and girls for their fathers, this theory
was propounded by Sigmund freud, to him humans from birth has an instinct
libido (sexual appetite), and this develops into five stages.
However
for this purpose of these paper psychosexual development as a whole and the
stages shall however be discussed in full.
PSYCHOSEXUAL
DEVELOPMENT (ITS MEANING)
Psychosexual
development is a central element of the psychoanalytical sexual drive theory,
that humans from birth posses an instinctinctual libido (sexual appetite) that
develops in five stages, it should be noted however that tries here to use the
psychosexual theory as an explanation for man,s appetite for sex, to him the
libido is the organ actually responsible for this sexual urge /drive.
To
freud the libido develops in five stage. Each stage the oral, the anal , the phallic, the latent
and the gentila stage is charterized by the erogenous zone, however this
erogenous zone is a source of libidal drive. Freud however proposes that if the
child experiences anxiety , thwarting his sexual appetite during libidinal or
psychosexual development , this can function as a source of mental disorder.
Freud
advanced a theory of personality development that centered on the effects of
the sexual pleasure drive on the individual
psyche (mentality), at particular
point of sexual development , he claims that a sigle particulary body part is
sensitive to sexual erotic stimulation, these erogenous zones are the mouth,
the anus, and the gential region. The child’s libido centers on behavior
affecting the primary erogenous zones of his age: he cannot focus on the
primary errogeneous zone of the next stage without resolving the developmental
conflict of the immediate one.
SIGMUND FREUD (BACKGROUND OF THE
STUDY )
Sigmund
freud observed that during the predictable stages of early childhood
development, the childs behavior is oriented toward certain parts of the body
e.g the mouth is oriented towards certain parts of his her body, the mouth
during breast-feeding, the anus during toilet training. He however proposes
that adult neurosis (functional mental disorder), often is rooted to childhood
sexuality, therefore, neurotic adult behaviours were manifestations of
childhood sexual fantasy desire . this because human beings are born
“polymorphously prevrse” infants can derive e pleasure from any part of their
bodies, and that socialization directs the instinctual libidinal drive into
adult heterosexuality. Given the predictable timeline of cchildhood behavior.
FREUD”S
SEXUAL INFANTILISM
TO
freud sexual infantilism is a wat by which infants seeks to satisfy their
libido (sexual drive) , the child might experience failiure (parental and
societal disapproval) and thus might associate anxiety with the given erogenous
zone. To avoid anxiety, the child becomes fixated, preoccupied with the
psychological themes related to the erogenous zones in question which persist
into adulthood, and underline the personality and psychopathology of the man or
woman, as neurosis, hysteria, personality disorders. Sigmund however proposed
libido development as a model of normal childhood sexual development wherein
the child progresses through dive sexual
stages which are the oral stages,the anal stage, the phallic stage, the
latent stage and the gentila stage , each stage however is a source o pleasure
STAGES OF PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
ORAL STAGE
The
oral stage begins at childbirth , when the oral cavity is the primary focus of
libidal energy. The child, of course preoccupies himself with nursing, the
pleasure of sucking and accepting things into his mouth,
The oral scharacter is frustrated at this satge, whose mother refused tonurse
him on demand or who truncated nursing session early , is characterized by
pessimism, envy , suspicision and sarcasm. The overindulged oral character ,
whose nursing urges were always and often excessively satisfied , is
optimistic, gullible and is full of admiration for others around him. The stage
culminates in the primary conflict of weaning, which both deprives the child
sensory pleasures or nursing and of the psychological pleasure of being cared
for, mothered , and held. The stage lasts approximately one and half years .
however weaning is the key experience in infant oral stage of psycho sexual
development, his or her first feeling of loss consequent to loosing the
physical intimacy of fffeding at mother,s breast. Yet, weaning increases the
infant self awareness that he or she does not control the environment, and thus
learns of delayed gratification, which leads to the formation of the capacities
for independence ( AWAReneess of the
limits of self) and trust. Yet, thwarting of the oral stage too much or too
little gratification of desire may lead
to an oral satge , fixation characterized by passivity, gullibility, immaturity
, unrealistic optimisnm, which is manifeated in manipulative personality
consequent to ego malformation. In the case of too much gratification , the
chid does not learn that he or she does not control the environment and that
gratification is not always immediate.
ANAL STAGE
At
one and one half years, the child enters the anal stage, with the advent of
toilet training comes the child’s obsession with the erogenous zone of the anus
and with he retention of explusion of feces. This represents a classic conflict
between the id, which derives
pleasure from explusion of bodily
wastes, and the ego and super ego, which represents the pratical and societal
pressures to control the bodily functions. The child meets the conflict between
the parent,s demand and the child,s
desires and physical capabilities in one of two ways : either he puts up a
fight or he simply refuses to go. The child who wants to fight takes pleasure
in excreating maliciously, perhaps just before or just after being placed on the toilet. If the parents
are too lienient and the child manages to derive pleasure and success from this
explusion, it will result in the formation of an anal explusive character. This
character is generally messy, disorganized, reckless, careless and defiant,
conversely , a child may opt to retain feaces, thereby spitting his
parents while enjoying the pleasurable
pressure of the built up feaces on his intestine. If this tactic succeds the
child is over indulged
Also
in this anal stage the ego formation
continueshere the ego plays the function of eliminsting bodily wastes, and
handling related activities. The style of parenting influences the resolution
of the ego conflict , which can either be gradual and psychologically
traumatic. The manipulating excrement, hence has to cope with parental demands,
the style of parenting influences thebresolution of the ego conflict.
PHALIC STAGE
The
phallic stage is the setting for
greatest , most crucial sexual conflict in freud’s model development .
in this stage , the child erogenous zone is the gential region. As the child
becomes more interested in his gentials, and in the gentials of pthers,
conflicy arises, the conflict , is labeled the Oedipus complex (the electra
complex in women), involves the child’s unconscious desire to posses the
opposite sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one,.
In
the young male, the oedipius conflict stems from his natural love for his
mother which becomes sexual as his libidinal energy transfers from the anal region to his gentials. Unfortunately the boy, his father stands in the way of his
love. The boy therefoe feels aggression and envious toward his rival , his father
and also feels fear that the father will strike back at him.
However
on the electra complex , freud was more vague . the complex has its roots in
the little’s girls discovery that she, along with her own morthewr lacks the
penis which her father and other men possesses. Her love for her father then
becomes boyth erotic and envious, as she
yearns for a penis of her own. She comes to blame her mother for her perceived
castration , and is struck by penis envy , the apparent counterpart to the
boy’s castration anxiety. The resolution to the electra comple is far leess clear cut than the resolution of
the Oedipus complex is in males…… to freud the resolution comes later and is
never truly complete. Just as the boy learned his sexual rpole , so the girls learn
sher role by identifying withb her
mother in an attempt to possess her father vicariously. At the eventual
resolution of the conflict the girl passes
into the latency period, though freud implies that she always remains
slightly fixated at the phallic stage.
de
LATENCY STAGE
THIS
STAGE SPANS FROM SIX years until puberty , wherein the child consolidates the
character and habits he she developed at the three stages of earlier
psychological and sexual sdevelopment. Whether or not the child has successfully resolved the
oedipal conflict, the instinctual drive of the id are inaccessible to the ego,
because his or her defence mechanisms repressed them during the phallic stage.
GENTIAL STAGE
IN
the gential stage the child energy once
again focuses on his gentials, interest
s turns into hetero sexual relationships. The less energy the child has left
invested in unresolved psychosexual
developments, the greater his capacity will be to develop normal relationship
with the opposite sex, if, however, he remains fixated, particularly on the
phallic stage , his develolment will be troubled as he struggles withn further
repression and defenses.
This
stage also spans through puberty and adult life, and it usually reoccurening in
the live of an adult man and woman.
CONCLUSION
A usual criticism of the scientific validity of
the Freudian psychology theory of human psycho sexual development has proven
that Sigmund was actually fixated on humans sexuality, therefore, he
favoured defining human development withna normative theory of psychological
sexual development, hence it can be clearly put thst the five stages of sexual
development in humans are however controversial to each other as they have no
scientific validity and cannot be proven.
REFERENCES
AN
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH, S. R DIBIE, REJEET PUBLISHERS,,,,2004
PSYCHOLOGY
IN A CHANGING WORLD, LONDON: OXFORD PRESS
THE
WIKIPEDIA
ENCARTA
PREMUIN,
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