
The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their genitalia as the erogenous zone. What happens phallic stage? The phallic stage of development is primarily focused on identifying with the same-sex parent.
What age does the phallic stage begin?
The phallic stage, in which the libido focuses on the genitalia, represents the culmination of infantile sexuality. Although it typically occurs between the ages of 3 to 5 years old, it sets the stage for adult sexuality. Therefore, it is a very important period.
What are the five stages of Freud?
Here are the 5 stages of human development
- Anal Stage. According to Freud, an anal stage happens between 1 to 3 years old. The erogenous zone of this stage is the anus.
- Phallic Stage. Phallic stage happens between 3 to 6 years old. ...
- Latent Stage. This stage happens from 6 years old to adolescence. ...
- Genital Stage. The genital stage happens during puberty to death. ...
What is phallic stage of psychosexual development?
What is the phallic stage of psychosexual development? The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the infant’s libido (desire) centers upon their genitalia as the erogenous zone. What age is the genital stage? Freudian psychosexual development
What are the stages of Freud?
Here are three terms Freud used within this theory:
- Libido: Sexual energy that can manifest through different types of behaviors
- Fixation: The idea that part of a person's libido is stuck in a particular stage of development through overindulgence or disruption
- Erogenous Zone: A part of the body that is sensitive to stimulation

What occurs during the phallic stage?
Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years) The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their genitalia as the erogenous zone.
What is phallic stage example?
Examples of phallic traits are activity, penetration, being in control of both the world and of one's emotional life, strength, resoluteness, and assertiveness in general as well as in sexuality.
What is the most important aspect of the phallic stage?
With five developmental stages total, the phallic stage is the third and most important one. The child forges his sense of self in relation to his genitalia, learning that he is masculine. Masculinity and his gender role are modeled for him by his father.
What do boys experience during the phallic stage?
In the Phallic stage of psychosexual development, a boy's decisive experience is the Oedipus complex describing his son–father competition for sexual possession of mother.
What is a phallic character?
in classical psychoanalytic theory, a pattern of narcissistic behavior exemplified by boastfulness, excessive self-assurance, vanity, compulsive sexual behavior, and in some cases competitive, aggressive, or exhibitionistic behavior. Also called phallic character; phallic-narcissistic character (or personality).
Which part of the body is focussed in phallic stage?
genitaliaPhallic stage. The third stage of psychosexual development is the phallic stage, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the child's genitalia are their primary erogenous zone.
Why is the phallic stage controversial?
The conflicts within the phallic stage are some of Freud's most controversial theories, and not just because it involves the idea of a young child masturbating. The main conflict in this stage develops as the child begins to recognize erotic attraction and the biological differences between men and women.
Which factor is a conflict in the phallic stage of development?
The Phallic Stage As the child becomes more interested in his genitals, and in the genitals of others, conflict arises. The conflict, labeled the Oedipus complex (The Electra complex in women), involves the child's unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one.
What is phallic aggressive?
Phallic-aggressive. Vain, aggressive, and self-centered, you are preoccupied with matters of power and dominance.
What stage is Oedipus complex?
phallic stageThe Oedipal complex occurs in the phallic stage of psychosexual development between the ages of three and five. The phallic stage serves as an important point in forming sexual identity.
What is latency stage example?
During the latency stage, the libido is in “do not disturb mode.” Freud argued that this is when sexual energy was channeled into industrious, asexual activities like learning, hobbies, and social relationships. He felt that this stage is when people develop healthy social and communication skills.
What is phallic aggressive?
Phallic-aggressive. Vain, aggressive, and self-centered, you are preoccupied with matters of power and dominance.
What stage is Oedipus complex?
phallic stageThe Oedipal complex occurs in the phallic stage of psychosexual development between the ages of three and five. The phallic stage serves as an important point in forming sexual identity.
What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development quizlet?
According to Freud there are five stages that everyone passes through- oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital.
Why is it called the phallic stage?
Sigmund Freud described five stages of childhood development and the phallic stage occurs at age three to six. It is named the phallic stage becaus...
What is the female version of phallic?
The female equivalent of phallic (penis) is the clitoris. A phallic symbol refers to an object resembling a penis. The female clitoris is less ofte...
What is the fixation of the phallic stage?
Sigmund Freud described the phallic stage of childhood development at age three to six. During the phallic stage, a boy sexually desires his mother...
What does the word phallic mean?
Phallic describes anything that resembles a penis in shape or character. Freud uses this term for the stage of development when children focus on t...
Where did the word phallic come from?
The word phallic originated from the Greek word for penis. A phallic symbol is an object that resembles a penis.
What happens if you fixate on a phallic stage?
An unresolved fixation in the phallic stage could lead to egoism, low self esteem, flirtatious and promiscuous females, shyness, worthlessness and men that treat women with contempt.
What is the phallic stage of psychosexual development?
The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (ca. 1921) In Freudian psychoanalysis, the phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their genitalia as the erogenous zone. When children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, ...
What is the Oedipus complex?
In the Phallic stage of psychosexual development, a boy's decisive experience is the Oedipus complex describing his son–father competition for sexual possession of mother. This psychological complex indirectly derives its name from the Greek mythologic character Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father and sexually possessed his mother. Initially, Freud applied the Oedipus complex to the development of boys and girls alike; he then developed the female aspect of phallic-stage psychosexual development as the feminine Oedipus attitude and the negative Oedipus complex; but his student–collaborator Carl Jung proposed the " Electra complex ", derived from Greek mythologic character Electra, who plotted matricidal revenge against her mother for the murder of her father, to describe a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father.
What is the phallic stage?
The Phallic Stage. With five developmental stages total, the phallic stage is the third and most important one. The child forges his sense of self in relation to his genitalia, learning that he is masculine. Masculinity and his gender role are modeled for him by his father.
What is the focus of Freud's third stage of psychosexual development?
The phallus is the focus of Freud's third stage of Psychosexual development. In this lesson, learn about this state of development and how it affects both girls and boys. Create an account.
Why is the boy anxious after his father dies?
Castration Anxiety. With a death wish for his father, the boy becomes anxious because his father is the most powerful member of this family. After all, father is masculine and has a penis. The most punishing act a father could do is remove his son's masculinity.
What did Freud believe about the phallic stage?
Freud suggested that during the phallic stage, the primary focus of the libido is on the genitals. At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between males and females. Freud also believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival for the mother’s affections.
What is the focus of Freud's anal stage?
During the anal stage, Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this stage is toilet training—the child has to learn to control their bodily needs. Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
Which psychoanalyst described how personality developed over the course of childhood?
According to the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, children go through a series of psychosexual stages that lead to the development of the adult personality. His theory described how personality developed over the course of childhood. While Freud's theory of personality development is well-known in psychology, ...
What is the conflict in the weaning process?
The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process--the child must become less dependent upon caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, Freud believed the individual would have issues with dependency or aggression. Oral fixation can result in problems with drinking, eating, smoking, or nail-biting.
What is the most important aspect of the phallic stage?
The most important aspect of the phallic stage is the Oedipus complex . This is one of Freud's most controversial ideas and one that many people reject outright. The name of the Oedipus complex derives from the Greek myth where Oedipus, a young man, kills his father and marries his mother.
What are the stages of psychosexuality?
Freud's 5 Psychosexual Stages. Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year) Anal Stage (1 to 3 years) Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years) Latency Stage (6 to puberty) Genital Stage (puberty to adult) ...
What are the stages of Freud's psychosexual development?
Freud proposed that personality development in childhood takes place during five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. During each stage sexual energy (libido) is expressed in different ways and through different parts of the body.
What is the analogy of military troops on the march?
To explain this Freud suggested the analogy of military troops on the march. As the troops advance, they are met by opposition or conflict. If they are highly successful in winning the battle (resolving the conflict), then most of the troops (libido) will be able to move on to the next battle (stage).
When does the oral stage begin?
In Freud’s theory, the oral stage begins at birth and typically lasts until children are one year old. The oral stage is characterized by the pleasure center and libido being centered around the mouth.
What happens during the psychosexual stages of development?
The same process, Freud argued, happens during the psychosexual stages of development. If the conflict causes a great deal of frustration, or if the child is overindulged, Freud thought they would be more likely to remain stuck in that stage of development. They would be less able to progress, and signs of this would be evident later in adulthood.
What are frustration, overindulgence, and fixation according to Freud?
Freud thought that frustration, overindulgence, and a subsequent fixation could all arise if conflict during a psychosexual stage is not resolved.
What is the term for what happens when some part of the libido (or id) is?
Freud describes fixation as what happens when some part of the libido (or id) is strongly invested in a particular psychosexual stage. According to Freud’s Structural Theory, the id consists of unconscious, instinctual sexual/aggressive urges and primary process thinking. Freud claimed that overindulging children’s needs at each stage could lead ...
How does Freud explain the psychosexual stage?
To help illustrate his point about how conflict plays out during each stage, Freud used a battle metaphor. During a war, troops are sent out to battle against their opponents. If they are able to successfully win the battle, they can then move on to the next battle or conflict. However, if they are met with great difficulty, they will be less successful in moving forward to the next confrontation. More troops will be forced to stay behind, effectively remaining “stuck” in that one stage of combat. The same process, Freud argued, happens during the psychosexual stages of development. If the conflict causes a great deal of frustration, or if the child is overindulged, Freud thought they would be more likely to remain stuck in that stage of development. They would be less able to progress, and signs of this would be evident later in adulthood.
How many stages of psychosexual development did Freud think of?
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development consists of five main stages. Each one is characterized by a specific kind of conflict and an erogenous zone. Freud thought that individuals could experience overindulgence, frustration, or both during one or more stages.
What is the role of conflict in Freud's psychosexual stages?
The role of conflict in Freud’s psychosexual stages. According to Freud, each stage of psychosexual development comes with some degree of conflict and frustration. He theorized that how completely a person is able to move on to the next stage depends on the degree of conflict and how the person is parented. In Freud’s theory, conflict is part of ...
What is the home environment of a child in the phallic stage?
The home environment and the attitude of the parents shape the personality pattern of the child in the phallic stage. Cameron (1969) remarks that normal parents are able to train the child with appropriate behaviour pattern which distinguishes between the masculine behaviour and aspirations of the pre-oedipal boy and the famine behaviour and aspiration of the pre-oedipal girl.
What is the motivation of a person in later life?
In later life, he may be motivated to produce things to please others. Charity, generosity, philanthropy and giving presents may be an outcome of this basic experience.
Is the oedipal phase biologically predetermined?
According to Benedeck (1959) “It, seems probable that the oedipal phase is biologically predetermined or at least that given such a close knit unit as the human family in the Western culture, it is biologically inevitable”. It has also been suggested by Benedeck that unconscious sexual attitudes of the parents, which the small child responds to as though they were conscious, are in part responsible for the oedipal phase.
Did Freud find the Electra complex?
Freud however views that he is not totally sure of the Electra complex as he found Electra complex before finding Oedipus complex in males.

Overview
In Freudian psychoanalysis, the phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their genitalia as the erogenous zone. When children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, and the bodies of their parents, they gratify physical curiosity by undressing and exploring each other and their genitals, the center of the phallic stage, in course of which they le…
Complices: Oedipus and Electra
In the Phallic stage of psychosexual development, a boy's decisive experience is the Oedipus complex describing his son–father competition for sexual possession of mother. This psychological complex indirectly derives its name from the Greek mythologic character Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father and sexually possessed his mother. Initially, Freud applied the Oedipus complex to the development of boys and girls alike; he then developed the female aspe…
Defense mechanisms
In both sexes, defense mechanisms provide transitory resolutions of the conflict between the drives of the Id and the drives of the Ego. The first defense mechanism is repression, the blocking of memories, emotional impulses, and ideas from the conscious mind; yet it does not resolve the Id–Ego conflict. The second defense mechanism is identification, by which the child incorporates, to his or her ego, the personality characteristics of the same-sex parent; in so adapting, the boy …
See also
• Phallic monism
• Phallic woman
• Psychosexual development
External links
• Freud's Psychosexual Stages.
• Colman, Andrew M. (2015) [2001]. "phallic stage (p. 566)". A Dictionary of Psychology (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19105784-7.
• Felluga, Dino. "Modules on Freud: On Psychosexual Development". Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University College of Liberal Arts.