
What is latency period by Freud?
Latency stage. Freud described the time between when children are six through puberty as the latent period, when the id is suppressed by the ego. He characterized this stage as the child relating to the community by adopting values, developing social skills, and forming relationships with people outside the immediate family.
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 Freuds latency stage?
What is Freud’s latency stage? The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy repressed or dormant. This energy is still present, but it is sublimated into other areas such as intellectual pursuits and social interactions. This stage is important in the development of social and communication skills and self-confidence.
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

When does latency start?
In general. The latency stage may begin around the age of 7 (the end of early childhood) and may continue until puberty, which can begin anywhere from the age of 9 to the age of 17 (with 13 as an average). The age range is affected by childrearing practices; mothers in developed countries, during the time when Freud was forming his theories, ...
What is the latency phase of Oedipus?
The latency phase originates during the phallic stage when the child's Oedipus complex begins to dissolve. The child realizes that their wishes and longings for the parent of the opposite sex cannot be fulfilled and will turn away from these desires. They start to identify with the parent of the same sex.
What did Freud believe about the sexual phase?
Freud believed that the child discharges their libido (sexual energy) through a distinct body area that characterizes each stage. The stages are: the 'oral phase' (first stage) the 'anal phase' (second stage) the 'phallic phase' (third stage) the ' latency phase' (fourth stage) the 'genital phase' (fifth stage).
How are sexual and aggressive drives expressed?
The sexual and aggressive drives are expressed in socially accepted forms through the defense mechanisms of repression and sublimation . During the latency phase, the energy the child previously put into the Oedipal problem can be used for developing the self.
What is Freud's latency stage?
Freud Latency Stage research papers look into the fourth stage of Sigmund Freud’s 5-stage framework of childhood and adolescent psychosexual development. Sigmund Freud was one of the most famous psychologists of the history of psychological study. His ideas on adolescent development shaped the future psychology.
What is the latency stage of Freud's developmental model?
The latency stage is the fourth phase of Sigmund Freud’s (1856-1939) 5-stage framework of childhood and adolescent psychosexual development.
What is the term for a period during which a child has resolved or repressed the psychological and sexual challenges?
Freud described the latency stage as a relatively stable period during which the child has resolved or repressed the psychological and sexual challenges of the earlier phases
Is there a latency stage in childhood?
However, although the idea of a latency stage reinforces popular notions of “childhood innocence,” there is limited evidence that most developing children experience a distinct and extended period when psychosexual impulses and development are suspended.
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 did Freud believe about life?
Freud (1905) believed that life was built round tension and pleasure. Freud also believed that all tension was due to the build-up of libido (sexual energy) and that all pleasure came from its discharge. In describing human personality development as psychosexual Freud meant to convey that what develops is the way in which sexual energy ...
What did Freud believe about potty training?
Freud believed that this type of conflict tends to come to a head in potty training, in which adults impose restrictions on when and where the child can defecate. The nature of this first conflict with authority can determine the child's future relationship with all forms of authority.
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 did Freud say about oral stimulation?
Freud said oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life. We see oral personalities all around us such as smokers, nail-biters, finger-chewers, and thumb suckers. Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviors, particularly when under stress.
What does Freud mean by "sexual"?
In describing human personality development as psychosexual Freud meant to convey that what develops is the way in which sexual energy of the id accumulates and is discharged as we mature biologically. (NB Freud used the term 'sexual' in a very general way to mean all pleasurable actions and thoughts).
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) ...
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 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 ...
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 did Freud believe about therapy?
Sometimes transference can be negative, but Freud believed that all transference was a gateway that could move someone from illness to recovery.
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 ...
How many stages of psychosexual development did Freud have?
This article will tell you about Sigmund Freud's five stages of psychosexual development that are still debated in the field of psychology.
What did Freud believe about libido?
He believed that libido provides the basic platform for the mind to run on. Freud’s five stages of development essentially showcase how sexuality starts from a very young age in humans, and how it develops till adulthood at different stages.
What did Freud believe about sexual pleasure?
According to him, every child is full of energy that needs to be channelized in the right direction. The overall development of a child depends on the way he/she controls or directs this energy. He named this energy as libido. He believed that libido provides the basic platform for the mind to run on.
What did Freud say about Oedipus?
According to Freud, boys and girls experience Oedipus complex at this stage and the boys suffer from castration anxiety. According to Carl Gustav Jung, who did not agree with Freud about girls too experiencing the Oedipus complex, girls experience Electra conflict and suffer from a penis envy.
What happens if you don't complete the psychosexual stages?
If these stages are not completed or are unsatisfied, a person may get fixated, which may lead to a conflicted personality in the adulthood. Given below are the five stages of psychosexual development in chronological order as described by Sigmund Freud.
What is the stage of oral fixation?
This stage occurs from birth to around the age of one year. As the name suggests, in this stage, a child tries to gratify his libidinal energy through his/her mouth by sucking, biting, chewing, etc. You would observe children putting everything in their mouth at this age, be it food, toys, or soil. Oral fixation has two possible outcomes. According to Freud, if a person is dissatisfied at this stage, he/she is characterized by pessimism, suspicion, and sarcasm and grows into an adult who reduces tension or anxiety through chewing gum or the ends of pens and pencil. Such a person is said have an oral receptive personality.
What is Freud's theory of personality development?
Freud’s theory states that a person’s development is completed by the time he/she reaches adulthood. Sexual experiences of individuals dominate their behavior throughout their life. However, this theory of psychosexual development was and is still criticized by experts due to its overemphasis on sexuality without any corroborative data. Instead, psychologists today believe that personality development is a continuous process that happens throughout life.
Why is Freud criticized?
Dr. Dorfman says Freud is frequently criticized for how male-focused, heteronormative, and cis-centric these stages are .
What did Freud believe about potty training?
Freud believed that during this stage, potty training and learning to control your bowel movements and bladder are a major source of pleasure and tension.
What is the meaning of each stage?
Each stage is associated with a specific part of the body, or more specifically, erogenous zone. Each zone is a source of pleasure and conflict during its respective stage.
What is Freud's theory of thumb sucking?
Freud’s theory says that things like excessive gum chomping, nail biting, and thumb-sucking are rooted in too little or too much oral gratification as a child.
What is the problem with Kohlberg's stages of moral development?
“The problem with developmental stage theories is that they often put people in a box and do not allow room for variances or outliers ,” says Dr. Mayfield.
Where is libido located in the oral stage?
Chances are you visualized a little scoundrel sitting on their bum, smiling, and sucking on their fingers. Well, according to Freud, during this first stage of development, a human’s libido is located in their mouth .
Is Freud's psychosexual stage still relevant?
Now considered outdated, Freud’s psychosexual stages of development are no longer super relevant.
What is the primary tenet of Freudian psychosocial development?
The primary tenet of Freudian psychosocial development revolves around the causal relationship between sexual conflict and the subsequent precipitant psychoneurosis. This principle has incited controversy since its inception. Opponents to Freud have argued that neuroses can develop independently without the need of a psychosexual impetus. [2]
What is Freud's theory of sexual development?
Freud's developmental theory on psychosexual development was among the first attempts to bring psychology under the same scientific structure and methodology of medicine. This unification was accomplished by first defining normative human sexual development. Freud organized psychosexual maturation into 5 distinct phases. Each stage symbolizes the concentration of the libido or instincts on a different area of the body (i.e., erogenous zones). In order to mature into a well-functioning adult, one must progress sequentially through each of the aforementioned psychosexual stages. When libidinal drives are repressed or unable to be appropriately discharged, the child is left wanting and unsatisfied. Freud identified this dissatisfaction as fixation. Fixation at any stage would produce anxiety, persisting into adulthood as neurosis. This dynamic formed the foundational bedrock for Freud's psychoanalytic sexual drive theory.[1]
What is stage 4 in a child?
Stage IV: 6 - 12 years old, latency, dormant sexual feelings: During this time, the libido is relatively repressed or sublimated. Freud did not identify any erogenous zone for this stage. The child now begins to act on their impulses indirectly by focusing on activities such as school, sports, and building relationships. Dysfunction at this stage results in the child's inability to form healthy relationships as an adult.
What is stage 1 of a baby?
Stage I: 0-1 year, oral, mouth:Oral desire is the center of pleasure for the newborn baby. The earliest attachment of a baby is to the one that provides gratification to his oral needs, usually his mother. If the optimal amount of stimulation is not available, libidinal energy fixates on the oral mode of gratification, resulting in subsequent latent aggressive or passive tendencies.
What are Freud's three psychic structures?
The latter suggests that the psyche (personality) encompasses three psychic structures: the id, ego, and superego.
Which theory of development is the basis for psychoanalysis?
Freud's developmental theories form the basis for psychoanalysis and subsequent derivatives that make up contemporary psychotherapy. [7][8][9]
Is psychoanalysis still important?
Despite these areas of concern, psychoanalysis remains influential in contemporary mental health care.
