Sigmund
Freud’s developmental theory
Brief
of Freud’s Psychosexual Theory
Ø Focus:
The theory is based on how children derive pleasure or resolve conflicts
related to different erogenous zones at each stage.
Ø Fixation:
If a stage is not successfully resolved, the person may become
"fixated" at that stage, influencing adult personality and behaviors.
Stage
of Freud’s Psychosexual Theory
1. Oral Stage (Birth to
18 Months)
Ø Erogenous
Zone: The mouth.
Ø Pleasure
Source: Sucking, biting, chewing.
Ø Description:
In this stage, an infant’s primary source of interaction with the world is
through the mouth. This interaction satisfies basic needs like nourishment and
comfort and brings pleasure. The infant depends entirely on caregivers.
Ø Key
Conflict: Weaning (transition from breast or bottle to solid food).
Ø Too
early or abrupt weaning can cause feelings of anxiety or deprivation.
Ø Overindulgence
can create dependency or fixation on oral activities.
Ø Fixation
Outcomes:
· Positive:
A healthy resolution develops trust and independence.
· Negative:
(i) Oral-passive: Dependency on others, overeating, smoking, nail-biting. (ii) Oral-aggressive:
Hostility, sarcasm, or a tendency to chew on things like pencils.
2. Anal Stage (18 Months
to 3 Years)
Ø Erogenous
Zone: The anus.
Ø Pleasure
Source: Controlling bowel and bladder movements.
Ø Description:
During this stage, the child gains pleasure from learning to control their
bodily functions, especially during toilet training. This stage emphasizes the
child’s developing sense of autonomy and self-control.
Ø Key
Conflict: Toilet Training.
· Too
strict training can create feelings of shame or the need for excessive control.
· Too
lenient training may lead to carelessness or rebellion.
Ø Fixation
Outcomes:
· Positive:
Development of self-control, order, and independence.
· Negative:
(i)
Anal-retentive: Excessive neatness,
perfectionism, and stubbornness.
(ii)
Anal-expulsive: Disorganization,
messiness, and defiance.
3. Phallic Stage (3 to 6
Years)
Ø Erogenous
Zone: The genitals.
Ø Pleasure
Source: Exploring their bodies and recognizing gender differences.
Ø Description:
This stage involves a child’s discovery of their body and the realization of
differences between boys and girls. Children develop unconscious desires for
the opposite-sex parent.
Ø Key
Concepts:
· Oedipus
Complex: Boys develop unconscious feelings for their mother and jealousy or
rivalry toward their father. Fearing punishment (castration anxiety), boys
eventually identify with their father.
· Electra
Complex: Girls develop unconscious attraction toward their father and
resentment toward their mother. Freud also theorized "penis envy" in
girls, where they recognize a perceived anatomical deficiency.
Ø Key
Conflict: Resolving feelings for the opposite-sex parent by identifying with
the same-sex parent.
Ø Fixation
Outcomes:
· Positive:
Healthy relationships with both sexes and understanding societal gender roles.
· Negative:
(i)
Vanity, promiscuity, or narcissism.
(ii)
Difficulty forming relationships or
struggles with authority.
4. Latency Stage (6 Years
to Puberty)
Ø Erogenous
Zone: Dormant libido.
Ø Pleasure
Source: Social and intellectual pursuits.
Ø Description:
Sexual energy is repressed, allowing the child to focus on learning, developing
social skills, and forming friendships. The libido is dormant, and energy is
directed into school, hobbies, and peer interactions.
Ø Key
Conflict: None explicitly. This stage is primarily a time of learning and
growth.
Ø Fixation
Outcomes:
(i) Positive:
Development of communication skills, academic focus, and self-confidence.
(ii) Negative:
If unresolved earlier stages resurface, issues such as shyness, lack of
self-esteem, or poor social skills may emerge.
5.
Genital Stage (Puberty to Adulthood)
Ø Erogenous
Zone: The genitals.
Ø Pleasure
Source: Mature sexual intimacy and love.
Ø Description:
The libido reawakens and becomes focused on forming intimate relationships with
others. This stage emphasizes the development of a well-rounded personality and
a balance between various life areas like love, work, and friendships.
Ø Key
Conflict: Balancing individual desires with societal expectations.
Ø Fixation
Outcomes:
(i) Positive:
Establishing meaningful relationships, pursuing goals, and achieving
independence.
(ii) Negative:
If earlier fixations persist, difficulties in intimacy, dependency, or
selfishness may occur.
Ø Key
Themes Across All Stages
Ø Libido:
A source of psychic energy that drives behavior.
Ø Fixation:
Stagnation or over-investment in a stage due to unresolved conflicts.
Ø Personality
Development: The stages shape personality traits and behaviors. Success in
resolving conflicts leads to healthy development, while unresolved conflicts
can manifest as neuroses or maladaptive behaviors.
Ø Freud
believed these stages profoundly influenced adult personality. Although
criticized for lack of empirical support, his work remains foundational in
psychology and psychoanalysis.
1. What is the primary
focus of Freud’s developmental theory?
a) Cognitive development
b) Psychosexual
development
c) Emotional intelligence
d) Moral reasoning
Answer: b) Psychosexual
development
2. Which part of the
personality operates on the pleasure principle?
a) Id
b) Ego
c) Superego
d) Conscious mind
Answer: a) Id
3. Freud compared the
mind to which structure?
a) A tree
b) An iceberg
c) A pyramid
d) A clock
Answer: b) An iceberg
4. What is the primary
focus during the oral stage?
a) Control
b) Independence
c) The mouth
d) Sexual intimacy
Answer: c) The mouth
5. What is the key
conflict during the anal stage?
a) Weaning
b) Toilet training
c) Exploration
d) Parental approval
Answer: b) Toilet
training
6. What is a fixation in
Freud’s theory?
a) A mental disorder
b) An unresolved conflict
in a psychosexual stage
c) A defense mechanism
d) A form of punishment
Answer: b) An unresolved
conflict in a psychosexual stage
7. Which stage involves
the Oedipus Complex?
a) Oral
b) Anal
c) Phallic
d) Genital
Answer: c) Phallic
8. During the latency
stage, sexual energy is:
a) Repressed
b) Increased
c) Focused on
relationships
d) Associated with the
superego
Answer: a) Repressed
9. Which erogenous zone
is associated with the phallic stage?
a) Mouth
b) Genitals
c) Anus
d) None of the above
Answer: b) Genitals
10. What happens if a
child experiences fixation during the anal stage?
a) Smoking
b) Obsessive neatness or
messiness
c) Excessive optimism
d) Difficulty forming
relationships
Answer: b) Obsessive
neatness or messiness
11. In the genital stage,
the focus is on:
a) Self-control
b) Developing mature
relationships
c) Parental attachment
d) Exploring one’s body
Answer: b) Developing
mature relationships
12. What is the
unconscious energy that drives the psychosexual stages?
a) Libido
b) Id
c) Superego
d) Ego
Answer: a) Libido
13. Freud’s theory
suggests that personality development is largely complete by what age?
a) 3 years
b) 5 years
c) 12 years
d) 18 years
Answer: b) 5 years
14. What is the term for
a boy’s attraction to his mother and rivalry with his father?
a) Electra complex
b) Castration anxiety
c) Oedipus complex
d) Fixation
Answer: c) Oedipus
complex
15. What is a defense
mechanism?
a) A tool to resolve
conflicts between id and superego
b) A process to reinforce
libido
c) A method to enhance
memory
d) A way to increase
fixation
Answer: a) A tool to
resolve conflicts between id and superego
16. The superego
represents:
a) Primitive desires
b) Moral and societal
rules
c) Rational
decision-making
d) Biological needs
Answer: b) Moral and
societal rules
17. What is the main
pleasure source in the oral stage?
a) Talking
b) Chewing and sucking
c) Biting nails
d) Crying
Answer: b) Chewing and
sucking
18. What is castration
anxiety?
a) Fear of punishment for
sexual desires
b) Fear of losing
independence
c) Fear of parental
rejection
d) Fear of failure
Answer: a) Fear of
punishment for sexual desires
19. What is penis envy
according to Freud?
a) Girls’ jealousy of
boys’ privileges
b) Girls’ unconscious
desire for power
c) Girls’ realization of
their anatomical differences
d) None of the above
Answer: c) Girls’
realization of their anatomical differences
20. Fixation in the oral
stage may lead to:
a) Dependency and smoking
b) Excessive control
c) Relationship
difficulties
d) Academic struggles
Answer: a) Dependency and
smoking
21. Which stage is
characterized by a lack of sexual energy?
a) Oral
b) Latency
c) Anal
d) Genital
Answer: b) Latency
22. What is the primary
developmental task in the anal stage?
a) Socializing
b) Learning discipline
and control
c) Forming intimate
relationships
d) Developing moral
values
Answer: b) Learning
discipline and control
23. Which component of
personality mediates between id and superego?
a) Ego
b) Conscious
c) Libido
d) Defense mechanisms
Answer: a) Ego
24. What is the result of
fixation in the phallic stage?
a) Difficulty with
authority figures
b) Increased intellectual
growth
c) Extreme neatness
d) Strong interpersonal
relationships
Answer: a) Difficulty
with authority figures
25. Which psychosexual
stage lasts from birth to 18 months?
a) Oral
b) Anal
c) Phallic
d) Latency
Answer: a) Oral
26. Which psychosexual
stage involves the development of gender identity?
a) Oral
b) Phallic
c) Latency
d) Genital
Answer: b) Phallic
27. What age range is
associated with the latency stage?
a) 0-3 years
b) 3-6 years
c) 6 years to puberty
d) Puberty to adulthood
Answer: c) 6 years to
puberty
28. Which part of the
personality represents rationality and decision-making?
a) Id
b) Ego
c) Superego
d) Libido
Answer: b) Ego
29. What is the term for
the reemergence of unresolved conflicts from earlier stages during the genital
stage?
a) Regression
b) Fixation
c) Defense mechanisms
d) Latency
Answer: b) Fixation
30. What does the
superego contain?
a) Unconscious desires
b) Societal values and
morality
c) Basic instincts
d) Pleasure-seeking
drives
Answer: b) Societal
values and morality
31. The Oedipus complex
is resolved through:
a) Suppression of desires
b) Identification with
the same-sex parent
c) Repression of memories
d) Rivalry with the
opposite-sex parent
Answer: b) Identification
with the same-sex parent
32. What is the focus of
libido in the genital stage?
a) Self-discovery
b) Mature sexual
relationships
c) Parental attachment
d) Childhood friendships
Answer: b) Mature sexual
relationships
33. According to Freud,
the latency stage is primarily focused on:
a) Repression of earlier
conflicts
b) Sexual experimentation
c) Developing social and
intellectual skills
d) Resolving parental
relationships
Answer: c) Developing
social and intellectual skills
34. Which defense
mechanism involves redirecting impulses to a safer target?
a) Sublimation
b) Projection
c) Displacement
d) Denial
Answer: c) Displacement
35. A person overly
concerned with order and control may be fixated at which stage?
a) Oral
b) Anal
c) Phallic
d) Genital
Answer: b) Anal
36. The term
"libido" refers to:
a) Life energy
b) A person’s moral
compass
c) Defense mechanisms
d) Decision-making
ability
Answer: a) Life energy
37. What term describes
reverting to behaviors of an earlier stage?
a) Fixation
b) Regression
c) Sublimation
d) Rationalization
Answer: b) Regression
38. What is the Electra
complex?
a) Girls' attraction to
their father
b) Boys’ fear of
castration
c) Rivalry between
siblings
d) Boys’ desire to
emulate their father
Answer: a) Girls'
attraction to their father
39. Which psychosexual
stage involves forming romantic relationships?
a) Phallic
b) Latency
c) Genital
d) Anal
Answer: c) Genital
40. Freud emphasized the
importance of early experiences because:
a) They are easier to
remember later in life.
b) They form the
foundation of personality.
c) They are more
conscious.
d) They can be erased
easily.
Answer: b) They form the
foundation of personality.
41. What is the primary
challenge during the phallic stage?
a) Developing
independence
b) Identifying with the
same-sex parent
c) Learning self-control
d) Repressing sexual
impulses
Answer: b) Identifying
with the same-sex parent
42. Fixation at the oral
stage can result in:
a) Obsessive cleanliness
b) Smoking and overeating
c) Difficulty forming
intimate relationships
d) Repression of memories
Answer: b) Smoking and
overeating
43. Which stage is marked
by trial-and-error in forming friendships?
a) Oral
b) Latency
c) Genital
d) Phallic
Answer: b) Latency
44. What is Freud’s term
for the energy of the life instincts?
a) Libido
b) Ego
c) Superego
d) Defense mechanism
Answer: a) Libido
45. What does fixation in
the genital stage lead to?
a) Dependency issues
b) Relationship
difficulties
c) Obsessive cleanliness
d) Social withdrawal
Answer: b) Relationship
difficulties
46. Which component of
personality balances desires and reality?
a) Id
b) Ego
c) Superego
d) Libido
Answer: b) Ego
47. According to Freud,
unresolved conflicts from childhood:
a) Have no impact on
adulthood.
b) Are easily forgotten.
c) Influence personality
throughout life.
d) Disappear during the
latency stage.
Answer: c) Influence
personality throughout life.
48. What is the most
mature stage in Freud’s theory?
a) Phallic
b) Latency
c) Genital
d) Anal
Answer: c) Genital
49. A person who is messy
and disorganized may be fixated at which stage?
a) Oral
b) Anal
c) Phallic
d) Latency
Answer: b) Anal
50. Which method did
Freud use to uncover the unconscious mind?
a) Observation
b) Free association
c) Experimentation
d) Hypnosis
Answer: b) Free
association