The Psychosexual Stages of Development - Essay Example

The Psychosexual Stages of Development Introduction Psychologists have long been interested in how humans develop. Since we are something of a mystery, it should not be surprising that different theories have developed over the years. Some, such as Freud, view human development as a naturally occurring process that is complete at an early age, often at just five years of age. Others, such as Erikson take a longer-range approach and view the stages of human development from a social perspective. This process takes much longer, often lasting well into adulthood. Other theories have developed as branches of these two schools of thought, but most scholars in the field view the theories of Freud and Erikson most strongly as they work to refine the process by which we develop. What follows will be a brief description of the psychosexual and psychosocial stages of development, followed by a synopsis of which theory is most relevant to us today. This theory, introduced by Sigmund Freud more than a century ago, labels humans largely as sexual beings. Freud believed that all of us possess a certain sexual energy, and that this ‘libido’ begins to manifest itself almost immediately after birth. Because of this, it has been theorized that humans develop in a series of five distinct stages, and that each stage is completed at an early age. His work centered, therefore, on early childhood development, and that remained his focus as he proposed the stages of psychosexual development. He believed strongly that the first five years of a child’s life largely influenced the eventual formation of their personality into adulthood (Bebe, 2012, p. 60). Each of the five stages in Freud’s theory follows a distinct progression. There is a certain conflict in each stage that must be resolved in the subconscious before one can move to the next stage. The oral stage is the first part of this human development, and it begins immediately after birth and lasts for about one year. At this stage of development, the child’s sexual energy is centered in his or her mouth. This manifests itself in various forms such as sucking, biting, and breast-feeding. Freud believed that certain oral stimulation introduced during this stage of development could lead to the manifestation of oral personalities later in life. This can be seen in adolescents or adults that end up smoke, biting their nails, or chewing the fingers (among others) when they are under stress. The second stage of psychosexual development generally occurs between 1-3 years of age and is referred to as the anal stage. During these years of a child’s life, there is great pleasure that comes from relieving oneself of excrement. Bowel movements become the norm and the child seems to enjoy it. Freud believed that it is at this stage that a child begins to develop their ego and, hence, their independence. Enjoying the process of defecation is their way of entering into conflict with the outside world. Depending on how this process is handled by various caretakers in life can determine if a child grows into an adult who is ‘anal-retentive’, or is someone that is carefree and easy going. The phallic stage occurs from three to five or six years of age, and it is the third stage of psychosexual development. At this age, children become obsessed with their own genitalia and they become to understand the differences between male and female sex organs. This can create a conflict between that sexes that manifests itself in such ways as rivalry, jealousy, and fear. It is this stage that influenced the formation of the concept of an Oedipus complex, which is Freud’s notion that a child becomes infatuated with their own mother and become jealous of anyone else in her life. The latency stage (the fourth stage of psychosexual development) begins at age five or six and continues to puberty. Beginning with this stage, there is no more psychosexual development left to occur and a person’s sexual energy become hidden (latent), or dormant. During this stage, children pour their efforts into learning new skills and they generally play mostly with children on their own gender. Finally, the fifth stage of psychosexual development is the genital stage. This begins with puberty and last through adulthood. This is when a human begins to experiment sexually, which results in them eventually settling down with another person of the opposite sex. Freud proposed that it was normal for this to occur when a person is in their 20s, and that relationships should be primarily heterosexual in nature. To desire to be in a different type of sexual relationship would result in something different having happened during the one of the first two stages of psychosexual development (Speery, 2002, pp. 33-36). The Psychosocial States of Development Unlike Freud, Erikson proposed that humans develop throughout their entire life. Lifespan development does not end with childhood, but rather social influences determine our progression from one stage to the next. Psychosocial development, according to Erikson, can be divided into eight stages. Five of these stages occur through to adolescence, with the final three stages occurring in adulthood, all the way to death. The first stage, infancy, begins at birth and last through to about 18 months of age. During this stage of development, children are learning to either trust or mistrust others. Caregivers must be careful to be affectionate and reliable during this stage, or mistrust can develop. From two to three years of age, the child will enter into the stage of early childhood. This is where they wrestle with issues of autonomy vs. shame and doubt. A common event during this stage is toilet training, which ironically, bears some similarity to Freud’s second stage. The third stage of psychosocial development is the preschool stage. During the ages of 3 to 5, children begin to explore and try to exert power over their environment. The school age is the fourth stage of Erikson’s theory and begins at age 6 and lasts until about age 11. This is when children learn to deal with all kinds of social event and they experience either success or failure. The fifth stage of development is adolescence, and this occurs beginning at about age 12 and last until age 18. This is the period of time when strong social relationships are formed and it is also when a person’s self-identified is largely created. After adolescence, an individual enters the first of three adult stages of development. The sixth stage of psychosocial development, is young adulthood and last until about 40 years of age. This is when an individual wrestles with issues of intimacy or isolation. They form lasting relationships at this stage, leading to the seventh stage, which is middle adulthood. Middle adulthood lasts until about 65 years of age. During this stage, a person is confused with issues related to work and family. The final stage is maturity, and this stage of psychosocial development continues until death. It is during this stage that a person reflects on their life and either feels regret, or they feel fulfilled. Merits, Shortcomings, the Author’s Personal Opinion, and Conclusion Both Freud and Erikson have valid theories. While it might be a stretch to consider that much of our development is sexual in nature, and occurs prior to the age of 6, many of Freud’s ideas do arguable appear later in a person’s life. In the end, however, it is difficult to make the statement that a child is thinking sexually from birth, because children cannot verbalize such emotions. Erikson, however, has captured the various stages of life and related them to more of a social environment. This theory has much more merit than Freud because our life is consumed by the happenings around us. Society does largely shape who we are. As we move through each of the eight stages of psychosocial development, we can see an individual maturing right before our eyes. Erikson’s theory has also assisted caretakers of children throughout the decades in watching for certain signs that indicate a child is progressing in a certain way. When we understand what children are thinking and doing, we are able to better help them on their path to maturity. His stages have also been validated through the years, particularly as a way of diagnosing certain psychological and emotional issues that appear in the elderly (Hearn, et. al., 2012, p. 5). Freud and Erikson both contributed a great deal and have certainly left their mark on psychology. No matter which school of thought one agrees with, both are worthy of study and reflection because there is so much to be learned about the way humans develop, both sexually and socially. They will, no doubt, continue to be studied by scholars of the social sciences for years to come. References Beebe, J. (2012). Psychological types in Freud and Jung. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, 6(3), 58-71. Sperry, L. (2002). Human development revisted. Human Development, 23(4), 29-40. Hearn, S., Saulnier, G., Strayer, J., Glenham, M., Koopman, R., & Marcia, J. (2012). Between integrity and despair: Toward construct validation of Erikson’s Eight Stage. Journal of Adult Development, 19(1), 1-20. Read More