Developmental Psychology

This is something that The ID craves while the superego contains itself in the preconscious area of the human mind. • he Ego : The ego is considered the referee between sensual thoughts and desires the ID contains, and the overactive morality of the superego. The ego looks at realism and helps plan thoughts, remains the rational thought, and serves as a mediator of desires. Mediation helps individuals discover socially suitable ways to gratify the ID. Remember that the ego does move through all 3 minds; the conscious, preconscious and unconscious minds. 1.8 Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development Sigmund Freud believed that a person’s personality develops due to changes in the libido which is related to sexual energy a person contains. The libido is present at birth and is known to be completed by the age of five. It was Freud that also believed that when individuals did not travel throughout the stages of lifespan properly, they would end up being immovable or fixated. The following table shows the stages of psychosexual development. Stage Age Characteristics Fixation Oral Stage Birth – 1 Year of Age An infant’s pleasure comes from actions of the mouth such as suckling, chewing, and biting If weaning does not occur properly, a fixation could occur. Examples such as nail biting, overeating, gum chewing are possible Anal Stage 1 year to 3 years of age Gratification is a result from anal actions, excretion and repetitive actions Not being properly toilet rained and even a lack of a normal routine can lead to anal fixation. Phallic Stage 3 years to 6 years of age This is when boys and girls will discover the genital area, and may lead to envy of the opposite sex Lack of education and parent involvement may lead to improper sexual feelings for the opposite gender. Latency Stage 6 years to 11 years of age There are no significant developmental occurrences. The only noticeable change is that girls play more with girls and boys with boys If children during this age range do not have proper exposure to both male and females, it may lead to inadequate knowledge of the opposite sex. Genital Stage 12 years of age and up Experiencing sex will occur and both boys and girls will seek relationships. If any of the previous fixations occur, it will affect the rest of the lifespan.

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