Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development are, like other stage theories, completed in a predetermined sequence and can result in either successful completion or a healthy personality or can result in failure, leading to an unhealthy personality. This theory is probably the most well known as well as the most controversial, as Freud believed that we develop through stages based upon a particular erogenous zone. During each stage, an unsuccessful completion means that a child becomes fixated on that particular erogenous zone and either over– or under-indulges once he or she becomes an adult. There are 5 stages of Freud’s theory. The first one to is Oral Stage which comes in the time of birth all the way to 18 months. During this stage the infant is focused in the stages or oral pleasures. One of this is sucking. If there is too much of it it can cause oral fixation, This can lead to an individual to smoke, drink alcohol, over eat, and bite his or her nails. If we think about it in a personality stand point one may become overly dependent on others, gullible, and perpetual followers. On the other hand, they may also fight these urges and develop pessimism and aggression toward …show more content…
This stage takes place between 18 months to the age of three. During this stage the infant focus on retaining and eliminating feces. The child has to learn to control anal stimulation. In terms of personality, after effects of an anal fixation during this stage can result in an obsession with cleanliness, perfection, and control. The next stage is the Phallic Stage that happens between the ages of three and six. The pleasure zone switches to the genitals. Freud believed that during this stage boy develop unconscious sexual desires for their mother. Because of this, he becomes rivals with his father and sees him as competition for the mother’s affection. During this time, boys also develop a fear that their father will punish them for these feelings, such as by castrating them. This group of feelings is known as Oedipus Complex ( after the Greek Mythology figure who accidentally killed his father and married his mother).Later it was added that girls go through a similar situation, developing unconscious sexual attraction to their father. Although Freud Strongly disagreed with this, it has been termed the Electra Complex by more recent psychoanalysts. According to Freud, out of fear of castration and due to the strong competition of his father, boys eventually decide to identify with him rather than fight him. By identifying with his father, the boy develops masculine characteristics and identifies himself as a male, and represses his sexual