Schizophrenia

Psychosexual Development

For my paper I choose to look at the theory of psychosexual development. Freud is the person who developed this theory. It is biological in nature and based on the inevitable unfolding of a series of stages in which particular behaviors occur. Freud broke his theory down into five different phases. Freud felt that for a person to have normal development they had to have a flow of libidinal or sexual energy which would let them progress through the five stages. He felt that if a person had this energy flow disrupted by some type of traumatic experience that they would become fixated at a particular stage. This would make them more vulnerable to crisis later in their life. In my paper I will go over the five stages that Freud laid out and look at how his theory has affected the way that we view a child's development today.

The first stage to go over is the Oral stage. During this stage the infant is composed of essentially all id. This means that the infant is basically on concerned with their own well being. Or in other terms they are selfish. During this stage the infant focuses their pleasurable sensations on their mouth. The infant gets most of its enjoyment from things such as food and water that come into contact with their mouth. In a normally developing child the oral stage will last from birth till around eighteen months. A person can experience difficulties later in life if they are either under indulged or overindulged during this stage. A person whom is over indulged is labeled as having an Oral Receptive Character. This type of person will display things such as being too trusting, accepting and being gullible. They have become habituated on receiving support and encouragement from others, and therefore are excessively dependant on others for gratification. They will often admire leadership and other such strong characteristics, but make little effort to obtain these traits themselves. These people will often experience conflicts with others based on the fact that not everyone will be a supportive as they expect. They often derive their personal gratification from what others have done, not what they have done themselves. A person, who has been under indulged during the oral stage, will be labeled as having an Oral Aggressive Character. These people tend to exploit others. They may have a sadistic view on life. Instead of reveling in others successes, they tend to be very envious. They display traits of being manipulative and self- serving. This type of person will also have difficulties maintaing friends, due to their exploitive attitude.

The next stage is the Anal stage. This is the stage where a child begins to develop their ego. They are starting to assert their independence, but cannot rationalize their decision making. The child is not basis their indepence on any self-serving thought, but only on the goal of assertion of ego control. They will reject anything the parents try to offer. Even if it is something the child seeks to obtain. The main focus of their pleasurable sensations at this time involves their anal cavity. They get joy from the retention or expulsion of feces. A huge conflict at this stage is the toilet. The child seeks to reject the parent's pressures of regulating their defecation or urination by retaining their waste, or expelling their waste matter in inappropriate places. These include the bed or cloths. This stage tends to last from around eighteen months to thirty-six months of age. A person whom is submitted to parents that are highly punitive and controlling may display signs of Anal eroticism. This is the result of the battle over power and control that is perceived when the child is being potty trained. The traits that this person may show include; obstinacy, parsimony, and orderliness. They will be fiercely independent, be very stringy with their possessions, and be very meticulous. They will need to live by a routine and will be sticklers fro precision.

The third stage is the phallic stage. This stage is where the development between boys and girls according to Freud begins to change. Both derive their pleasure from self-manipulation focuses around the genitals. Boys tend to develop a longing for sexual contact with their mother. They begin to see their father as a threat because they are becoming aware of their parents sexual relationship, but know that he is bigger and stronger. Their main fear of their father is that he will cut of their penis. The boys will have their superego develop and will take on the values of their parents and their beliefs about society. Girls however he says develop what is commonly known as, penis-envy. This stems from an envy that girls have because they do not have a penis. They will begin to at first try to compensate for this by emulating boys by masturbating what Freud calls their stunted penis. (The clitoris). Girls will tend to become resentful of their mothers, because they were brought into the world without a penis. This will in turn lead them into loving their father because he has the desired object. This fantasy of having a penis will shift into the desire to have a male child so the child can bring the desired penis into the world. Because their desire can never be fulfilled Freud says that their super ego will be inadequate. This stage will tend to last from around the fourth year to the end of the fifth year. There are a few types of characteristics that derive from abnormal growth during this stage. First is in males who have a severe castration anxiety. They tend to be reckless, resolute, and have a self-assured-manner. Next are those that overvalue the penis. They tend to show excessive vanity and exhibitionism, these are the men who have to prove they are men by doing stupid things. Women who develop abnormally during this stage are continuously striving for superiority over men. They are considered to be castrating females.

The fourth stage is called the latency stage. This stage does not particularly conform to the ideas of psychosexual development. The reason is because there is no erogenous zone, or an area of the body that is the focus of pleasure. Freud believes that a person's characteristics and behaviors are developed during the first five years of life. At this time in a child's life they turn their focus towards the ideas of school and their peers. They begin to develop their social and technical skills. They learn the skills that will allow them to conform and take their place into society.

The fifth stage which Freud gives is the genital stage. This is the stage where a person has the goal of mating with