FREUD’S PSYCHOSEXUAL THEORY 2
Abstract
Freud’s Psychosexual Theory allows us to fully capture the main points of growth for a person
from infancy into adulthood. This permits an understanding focus on a person’s different facets
of needs, wants, and desires. Freud influenced psychology and psychiatry in therapies for
children and adults with his work on emotional and nonrational aspects of a person’s personality.
There are many strengths to Freud’s theory which remain essential within child clinical
psychology and counseling psychology. Freud began to become influenced by additional
researchers to ultimately propose his psychosexual theory. One the other hand, aspects of this
theory have and remain controversial.
Keywords: Psychosexual, Personality, Developmental Stages
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Analysis of Freud’s Psychosexual Theory
Sigmund Freud was known as the father of psychosexual theory. Psychosexual theory
ultimately describes how personality is developed over a person’s childhood. Freud believed that
a person’s personality developed through childhood stages in which the pleasure-seeking passion
focused on certain erogenous areas. He viewed that early childhood experiences played a huge
role in a person’s personality development and that it continues to influence their behavior
throughout their lifespan. Sigmund Freud inevitably studied five distinct stages of development
that a person goes through throughout their lifespan. These stages lead to many strengths and
weaknesses that can be viewed today when studying Freud’s theory.
Oral Stage
The oral stage is the first stage a person goes through while in development and takes
place from birth to one year old. This stage is important because it introduces a baby to both the
pleasures and pains within the world (Miller, 2016). The primary source for the interaction
occurs with the baby’s mouth, therefore the sucking reflex is essentially the most crucial. One
strength to this developmental stage is that it is vital for a person’s developmental process
because it serves as a building block for relationships much later in their life. The major
weakness to this developmental stage is that it exhibits the weaning process, which tries to make
the child less dependent on whoever is taking care of them, who is mainly the mother. On the
other hand, Freud believed that when the development comes to a halt in this stage, a person
would eventually have issues with aggression and dependency later in life, which can lead to
problems with drinking and nail biting.
Anal Stage
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The next stage in the developmental process which Freud looks at is the anal stage and
takes place from one to three years old. This developmental stage ultimately allows enough
gratification and to develop self-control as an individual, but not too much of it (Miller, 2016).
Freud believed that developing this type of control leads to a sense of independence and
accomplishment. One major weakness concerning this developmental stage is in reference to
toilet training due to the fact that a child must learn how to control their bodily needs with their
bladder and bowel movements. Another weakness to the anal stage is that if a parent takes a
different approach with their children during this stage, then more negative outcomes will occur.
Negative outcomes that a person could experience if this stage is not achieved properly would be
a person having a wasteful, messy, or destructive personality. Freud inevitably believed that a
person having a positive experience while undergoing this stage served as the foundation for
people becoming productive and competent adults later in life.
Phallic Stage
The third developmental stage that Freud touches on is the phallic stage which occurs
from ages three to five. During this stage, children start to recognize the difference between
females and males. Freud expressed that during this developmental stage, he felt as though that
boys began to view their fathers as a competitor for their mother’s affection. This quarrel of
wanting to possess the mother and replace the father is a conflict most prominent in boys during
this developmental stage. Freud also states that regarding these feelings, the boys end up with a
fear of being punished by their father. However, within young girls, Freud believed that the
experience penis envy as she notices that her father has an object that she does not (Miller,
2016). This observation by Freud happens to be the most controversial aspect within his
psychosexual theory. This hypothesis is a true weakness to this developmental stage due to the
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fact that both sexes, male and female, have a strong connection with the mother due to her being
the most significant role within the prior stages of development.
Period of Latency Stage
The second to last developmental stage is the period of latency stage which transpires
between ages five to the beginning of puberty. This stage is initiated once children have entered
into school and become more interested in hobbies, peer relationships, and other interests.
According to Freud, this is a time when sexual energy is still present, but it is turned to other
areas such as acquiring cognitive skills and assimilating cultural values (Miller, 2016). A major
weakness regarding this developmental stage is that unresolved issues during this particular stage
can lead to problems such as difficulty expressing emotions or even forming healthy
relationships later on in life. An example of this would be if a child is unable to make strong
social connections with their peers, then they could impact their social skill and could lead to
feelings of isolation or inadequacy as an adult. Overall, the period of latency developmental
stage is important in the regard to the developmental of social, communication skills, and self-
confidence.
Genital Stage
Lastly, the final stage in the developmental process for a person is the genital stage which
arises from puberty into adulthood. According to Freud, this is the stage where an individual
develops a vigorous sexual interest in the opposite sex. A strength of this stage is the fact that
during this developmental time, people are more concerned with the welfare of others rather than
just focusing solely on their wants and needs. Prior stages affect the outcome as an individual for
this final developmental stage. If all of the previous stages have been completed correctly, then
by this stage a person should be caring and well-balanced. During this stage, a person’s choice in
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their significant other is heavily influenced by social patterns and attitudes developed within
early years (Miller, 2016). Even though some internal conflicts are inevitable in life, a weakness
to the genial stage is that if a person has unresolved issues, then it can lead to problems with
sexual dysfunction, forming relationships, as well as emotional problems. The importance of this
final stage is that it establishes a balance between various areas in a person’s life, such as love
and work.
Conclusion
Freud’s psychosexual theory is still one of the most controversial theories considered
today. While there are multiple different strengths to the psychosexual theory proposed by Freud,
there are more weaknesses that come along with it as well. The theory is overall difficult to test
scientifically due to the fact that the aspects within it are close to impossible to measure. The
theory of psychosexualism is not based on empirical research conducted by him or other
psychology researchers, but rather on case studies done by Freud. Another weakness to this
theory is that Freud took the recollection of information from his adult patients, rather than
observing actual patients who are children.
