Psychosexual Stages Of Personality Flashcards
Fixation
A condition in which a portion of libido remains invested in one of the psychosexual stages because of excessive gratification or frustration
Unable to move onto the next stage because a conflict hasn’t been resolved or because the needs have been satisfied a lot by an indulgent parent (so the child doesn’t want to move on)
Psychosexual stages of development
To Freud, the oral, anal, phallic, and genital stages through which all children pass.
In these stages, gratification of the id instincts depends on the stimulation of corresponding areas of the body
In each stage, a conflict exists that must be resolved before the infant or child can progress to the next stage
Oral stage
Birth-1
Mouth is the primary erogenous (pleasure) zone
Pleasure derived from sucking, biting, and swallowing: id is dominant
Infant is in state of dependence on the mother who is the primary object of the child’s libido
Infant is learning to love the mother
How mom responds to the infants demands, (id demands) determines the nature of the baby’s world
-learns to see the world as good or bad, satisfying or frustrating, safe or perilous
2 ways of behaving in this stage:
1) oral incorporative behavior (taking in) occurs first and involves the pleasurable stimulation of the mouth by other people and food
-adults fixated= excessively concerned with eating, drinking, smoking, kissing. Because they were overindulged in infancy
Consequence= overly gullible, and trusting.
Labeled oral passive personality type
2) oral aggressive or oral sadistic behavior (biting or spitting out)
- Occurs during teething
- infants come to view the mom with hatred as well as love
- people fixated at this level are prone to excessive pessimism, hostility, and aggressiveness
- likely to be argumentative and sarcastic, envious of other people and try to exploit and manipulate them in effort to dominate
Oral stage Concludes at the time of weaning, though some libido remains if fixation has occurred. Then the infants focus shifts to the other end.
Anal stage
1-3
Toilet training (external reality) interferes with gratification received from defecation
If toilet training isn’t going well the child can respond in one of two ways:
1) defecate when and where the parents disapprove, thus defying their attempts at regulation.
If the child finds this as a satisfying technique for reducing frustration and uses it frequently, he/she may develop an anal aggressive personality
To Freud, this was the basis for many forms of hostile and sadistic behavior in adult life, including cruelty, destructiveness, and temper tantrums. Person is likely to be disorderly and view others as objects to be possessed
2) the other way a child may react to frustration is by holding back the feces.
Produces a feeling of erotic pleasure (derived from a full lower intestine) and can be another successful technique for manipulating the parents.
Parents may be concerned if the child goes several days without using the bathroom. Thus, the child discovers a new way of getting parental affection
Basis for development for retentive personality
Stubborn and stingy, hoards or retains things because feelings of security depend on what’s saved or possessed
Person likely to be rigid, compulsively neat, obstinate, and overly conscientious
Phallic stage
4-5
Incestuous fantasies
Oedipus complex, anxiety, superego development
Focus of pleasure shifts from anus to genitals
Battle between an id impulse and the demands of society, as reflected in parental expectations
Start showing interest in exploring private parts (both own & of opposite sex)
Shown through behaviors and fantasies
Become curious about birth, male and female parts, and talk about wanting to marry the parent of the opposite sex
Is the last of the pre-genital or childhood stages and conflicts are the most complex ones to resolve.
Phallic personality:
- phallic conflicts and how they resolve them are important
- poor=lingering forms of castration anxiety and penis envy. Strong narcissism. Attracted to opposite sex, but have difficulty establishing mature heterosexual relationships. Need continual recognition and appreciation of their attractive and unique qualities. Lacking this support makes them feel inferior
- Freud described male phallic personality as brash, vain, and self-assured. Men try to assert or express their masculinity through activities like repeated sexual conquests.
- female phallic personality motivated by penis envy, exaggerates her femininity and uses her talents and charms to attract men.
Tense drama of the phallic stage is repressed in everyone
Motivates us as adults at the unconscious level. We recall little, if anything, of the conflict.
Latency stage
5-puberty
Period of sublimation of sex instinct
To Freud, the period during which the sex instinct is dormant, sublimated in school activities, sports, and hobbies, and in developing friendships with members of the same sex
Genital stage
Adolescence-adulthood
Begins at puberty
Development of sex-role identity and adult social relationships
Conflict at this stage is less intense
The genital personality type is able to find satisfaction in love and work, the latter being an acceptable outlet for sublimation of the id impulses
Fixation
A condition in which a portion of libido remains invested in one of the psychosexual stages because of excessive frustration or gratification
Sometimes a person is reluctant or unable to move from one stage to the next because the conflict hasn’t been resolved or the needs have been so supremely satisfied by an indulgent parent that the child doesn’t want to move on.
Fixated on the stage or development
Oedipus complex
In phallic stage
During the phallic stage (ages 4-5), the unconscious desire of a boy for his mother, accompanied by a desire to replace or destroy his father
Boy will see father as a threat. Perceives that father has a special relationship with the mom that he isn’t allowed to participate in. Result=boy becomes jealous of and hostile towards dad
Boy scared dad will harm him, castration anxiety
Castration anxiety
A boys fear during the Oedipal period that his penis will be cut off
Fear= forced to repress sexual drive for mom
Way of resolving Oedipal conflict
Boy replaces sexual longing for the mother by identifying with the father
In doing so, boy experiences vicarious sexual satisfaction
To enhance identification he attempts to become more like his dad by adopting his mannerisms, behaviors, attitudes, and superego standards
Electra complex
Oedipus complex in girls
During the phallic stage (ages 4-5), the unconscious desire of a girl for her father, accompanied by a desire to replace or destroy her mother
Father becomes the girls new love object
Shift happens, Freud said, because of the girls reaction to her discovery that boys have a penis and girls do not
Girl blames mom and loves her less.
Comes to envy the dad and transfers her love to him because he possesses boy parts.
Penis envy
Electra complex
The envy the female feels toward the male because the male possesses a penis
This is accompanied by a sense of loss because the female does not have a penis
Freud said an adult woman’s love for a man is always tinged with penis envy, and she can partially compensate for this by having a male child
The girl eventually comes to identify with mom again and repressed her love for her father, Freud isn’t sure how this occurs.
Latency period
To Freud, the period from about age 5 to puberty, during which the sex instinct is dormant, sublimated in school activities, sports, and hobbies, and in developing friendships with members of the same sex
