Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

Stage

Age

Characteristics Pleasure is derived from oral actions of the mouth: suckling, chewing, and biting Satisfaction is derived from the anus and defecation, as well as repetitive actions (more often the case) The discovery of the genitals: can lead to envy of the opposite gender

Fixation

Oral Stage

Birth to 1 year

Improper weaning will lead to oral fixation. Fixation may manifest as nail biting, overeating, smoking, or gum chewing Improper toilet training and a lack of a structured routine can lead to anal fixation. Generally manifests as a controlling personality, often referred to as “anal-retentive” Improper education and lack of parental involvement can lead to misplaced sexual feelings for the opposite gender and the conflict of not having the opposite genitals may lead to fixation on the matter Improper exposure to children of both genders can lead to inadequate knowledge of the opposite gender and the inability to socialize with them If fixation develops during a previous stage, it will affect the rest of the lifespan. Freud believed that if this were to occur, the individual would become homosexual

Anal Stage

1-3 years

Phallic Stage

3- 6 years

Latency Stage

7-11 years

No significant development occurs. Girls start to play more with girls and boys more with boys

Genital Stage

12 years and up

Sexual experimentation occurs and relationships are

sought, generally with the opposite gender

During the Phallic Stage, a parental obsession may develop. Freud believed that children become sexually attracted to their parent of the opposite sex. For male children, this notion was referred to as the Oedipus complex . For female children, this notion was referred to as the Electra complex . The name Oedipus refers to a Greek play, Oedipus Rex (meaning King Oedipus), written by Sophocles. In the play, the parents of Oedipus are informed shortly after his birth that he will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. Despite efforts having been made to prevent this from happening, Oedipus grows up to fulfill the prophecy made at his birth. Although much more happens during the play, Freud chose to use the prophecy as the basis for his theory. The Oedipus complex says that male children will grow to feel resentment towards their fathers and have latent desires to marry their mother. The name Electra is derived from another play by Sophocles. During this play, Electra desires to kill her mother while competing with her for the attention of her father.

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