Fixation according to Freud's Psychosexual Developmental Stages - Term Paper Example

Running head: Introduction to Psychology Introduction to Psychology By ______________ Fixation According to Freud's Psychosexual Developmental Stages Sigmund Freud, defines fixation as those emotional or psychological disorders, which are somehow created during the first three stages of adult development (sexual behavior) i.e., in the childhood. When this childish attitude starts influencing adults, in the form of habits fixation occurs. (2006a) Fixation when occurs in a limited amount of regression in an adult is a normal aspect of mental life. "However, severe frustration or stress may lead to regressions that are excessive and harmful an adult or adolescent may become childishly stubborn in a crisis, thereby regressing to the anal stage". (Ewen; 2003; p. 42) According to Freud, the mind is enriched with a fixed amount of psychic energy called "libido". Libido is also associated with sexual instincts. This libido when negate to grow furthermore in a child causes fixation, due to which in adulthood, the adult despite growing mentally continues with the same old habits which he used to adopt in childhood. "Because human nature is inherently malignant, we have no inborn wish to change for the better, and parents must pressure the reluctant child to proceed through the various stages of development. This task is fraught with difficulties, and some libido inevitably remains attached (fixated) to the pregenital erotogenic zones". (Nigel; 2001; p. 30) "So long as most of the libido reaches the genital stage, no great harm is done. But if traumatic events occur during a pregenital stage, such as harsh attempts at weaning or overly severe punishment during toilet training, excessive amounts of libido become fixated at that stage. The child rejects further development, and demands the satisfactions that have been withheld. Excessive fixations can also be caused by overindulgence, as by allowing the child to engage in too much thumb sucking. Such intense gratification is undesirable because it is difficult to abandon and remains a source of yearning". (Nigel; 2001; p. 30) Fixation may leave too little libido available for mature heterosexuality and result in serious psychological disturbances, which are further enhanced when child becomes an adult. "However, it is also possible for an adult personality to be marked by characteristics of a pregenital stage without being classified as pathological. According to Freud, "the fixation or regression of too much libido leads to neurosis. But how much is excessive Although Freud believed that neurological correlates of libido would ultimately be discovered, this has not happened, and it is impossible to measure the amount of psychic energy that is invested in a given cathexis, fixation, or regression". (Nigel; 2001; p. 45) Fixation in adults leads to certain psychological gaps experienced by adults like pessimism, aggressiveness and rage etc. These gaps are identified in Freud's picture of the dark side of personality, which is capable of highly destructive and illicit acts. The point is any child cannot be inherently murderous and incestuous. "It is the ratio and proportion of Fixation that causes adult to take pleasure limited to watered-down sublimations of forbidden childhood desires" (Nigel; 2001; p. 26) Fixation is not limited to obstruct an adult biologically, the optimizing studies of adult psychological functioning and change shows the unsuspected possibilities of sexual underdevelopment leading to homosexuality or bisexuality ('gays' and 'lesbians'). Fixation not only disturbs the sexual instincts of adults, but also affects their behavior in a negative sense. Ways to differ Classical and Operant Conditioning Classical and Operant conditioning are events followed by individual behaviors bounded by reflex action. These behaviors lead to different learning methods. According to Nigel W. Bond, Classical conditioning (CC) can be defined as pairing in some relationship of a neutral stimulus, whether conditioned or unconditioned capable of regularly and reliably eliciting a response, i.e., unconditioned response. Whereas Operant conditioning (OP) refers to behaviors controlled by its consequences. Here, behaviors that lead to pleasant outcomes, or avoid nasty ones, are likely to be repeated or unrepeated depending upon the reinforcement of behaviors. In CC we learn about the relationship between events while in OC we learn about the relationship between context, individual behavior and consequences. (Indeed the nature of the response is one major difference OC and CC. In CC, the conditioned response is one that the animal is already capable of producing. In contrast, in operant conditioning the animal may be required to produce a response that is not in his repertoire. The trainer has to train this new response with a technique called shaping. In brief CC is operated by the conditioned response that is unintentional or uncontrollable while in OC the conditioned response is required which is intentional. OC is also goal oriented. In CC, a stimulus that is paired with a traumatic event can lead to the acquisition of a fear or phobia. Both CC and OC can be combined to learn about the acquisition of new knowledge or skills in the form of Avoidance learning. "It refers to memory systems concurrently engaged to promote the learning of stimulus characteristics that predict threat, which can help the organisms avoid dangers in the future". (Nigel; 2001; p. 27) Studies indicate, "Avoidance manners evoke fear-like behaviors, induce avoidance learning, and mediate the acquisition of avoidance learning to fear-inducing stimuli". (Denny; 1991; p. 18) Avoidance learning refers to the negative reinforcement schedules, which can be further followed by positive and negative punishment. "The empirical definition of a punisher is a consequence that follows a response and decreases the future likelihood of that response. First when a response is followed by a stimulus and the response declines, we speak of positive punishment. A simple example can be taken from childhood that might be a smack at the bottom when a child does something his parents disapproved of. Second we speak of negative punishment when we remove a stimulus following a response and the response declines". (Nigel; 2001; p. 37) If one ever has been pulled over for speeding, the fine is an obvious example of a negative punisher. Here speeding behavior is followed by the removal of money from pocket. Both of these examples refer to tangibles, a smack and the forfeiting of money. However just as our behavior can be reinforced by intangibles such as attention, so we can be punished using intangibles. For example much of the child development literature on punishment focuses upon the withdrawal of a parent's love and approval as a negative punisher. The combination of CC and OC when applied is resulted in the form of Avoidance learning and identification often recommended by peers, parents and teachers which reduces personal anxiety while inducing anxiety in significant others. In Totem and Taboo (1950) Freud suggests that avoidance in primitive peoples originates with the incest taboo. "For example, a rule of avoidance Freud's word among the A-kamba of British East Africa is a girl has to avoid her father between the age of puberty and the time of her marriage. If they meet in the road, she hides while he passes, and she may never go and sit near him". Similarly many avoidants are fearful people who, after recognising that 'out of sight is out of mind,' isolate themselves to manage their sexual feelings". (Kantor; 1993; p. 41) References Denny Ray, 1991. Fear, Avoidance, and Phobias: A Fundamental Analysis: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Hillsdale, NJ. Ewen B. Robert, 2003. An Introduction to Theories of Personality, 6th ed: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Kantor Martin, 1993. Distancing: A Guide to Avoidance and Avoidant Personality Disorder: Praeger Publishers: Westport, CT. Nigel Bond, 2001. Psychological Science: An Introduction: Bond & McConkey. 2006a, accessed from Read More