Psychosexual Theory of Development - Essay Example

Freud vs. Erikson Introduction Sigmund Freud is undoubtedly the father of psychoanalytical approach, his approach main sound weird, or his theory maybe deemed controversial, but he is definitely the one who brought in the concept of sub conscious elements of the human personality. According to him consciousness is the tip of the iceberg, while the remaining part of the personality lies in the sub conscious. Freud divided the structure personality into three parts. These parts are id, ego and super ego. Id according to Freud is the impulsive half of the personality that basically reflects the animal instincts that are observed among human population. Ego is the mediatory part that balances human personality, and rationalizes one’s actions. Finally, super ego is an extreme that is defined by ultra-morality. The psychoanalytical school of thought describes humans as generally evil or bad, and they consider sex and anger as the strongest motivators that play a crucial role in the development of an individual. Further, they argue that man’s development is determined by nature, and the role of nurture is not important as it is considered by other schools of thought. For instance consider psychosocial theory of personality development. Erik Erikson offered his theory of personality development known as the psychosocial developmental theory. The main focus of this theory is to determine the role of society in the development of an individual’s personality. The debate of nature versus nurture is being discussed indirectly by Erik Erickson. The psychosocial development of an individual is divided into eight different stages, and each stage has defining feature that differentiates it from other stages. At each stage he discusses a conflict between favorable and unfavorable conditions. These conditions are mainly comprised of the sociological aspects, and the degree of social interaction that one has in his or her life. Psychosexual Theory of Development Before analyzing the psychosexual stages of development separately, it is important to understand some prerequisites of the theory. The first element that needs to understand is the concept of erogenous zones; they are sites for extracting pleasure or the organs that are more receptive to pleasure at a particular stage during the development. The next important element of this theory is the concept of libido or the sexual energy. According to Freud, individuals need to release or channelize this energy in positive way; otherwise the accumulation of this energy may lead to frustration, followed by anxiety, and eventually depression. Another important aspect of this theory is conflict. Conflict arises by the inability to gratify one’s needs according to their psychosexual stage. Freud presented his theory in 1905, he divided the development of personality into 5 different psychosexual stages, and each stage was provided with a specific erogenous zone for the gratification of one’s needs. Psychosexual stages of personality development are listed as follows: 1. Oral Stage 2. Anal Stage 3. Phallic Stage 4. Latency Stage 5. Genital Stage Oral Stage: The total span of this stage is 1 year, and it begins from the time of birth and continues till nest twelve to fourteen months. The erogenous zone during this phase is mouth, and it is related to breast feeding and sucking of thumbs etc. Fixation at this stage leads to habits like smoking, and regular use of chewing gum. Anal Stage: The length of this stage is 24 to 28 months; it starts immediately after the oral stage. Anus is the erogenous during this stage, and people who are fixed at this stage may develop messy attitudes or constipation. Phallic Stage: Phallic stage is the most controversial stage since during this phase, according to Freud sons develop sexual desires for their mothers, and daughters may suffer from penis envy. Anyhow, during this stage child becomes aware of reproductive organs, though they are not yet completely functional. The stage lasts for 2 to 3 years, from the age of 4-6. Latency Phase: This is a relatively isolated stage, no particular sexual development takes place during this period, and this is stage is free of conflicts in most of the cases. Genital Stage: This is the final stage which begins at puberty. Fixation at this stage may turn a person into a pervert, or generate suspicious approach regarding love relations. Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Erik Erikson divided the development of personality into eight different stages. These stages are not clearly defined; the way Freud divided his postulation of personality development. Stages of Psychosocial development are listed as follows: 1. Trust versus Mistrust: this stage occupies the first eighteen months of a child’s life. During this stage baby is learning to establish social links by trusting the people around him or her. A conflict as this stage may prevent a person to trust people in the later life. 2. Autonomy versus Shame: during this phase child is learning to walk and talk, the acquisition of walking ability makes the child more autonomous, and if at this stage a child is not encouraged for his action, there are chances that it may lead insecurity or inferiority complex coupled with reluctance to take charge. 3. Initiative versus Guilt: children at this stage want to take initiative, learn new things or create more things, their actions require appreciation otherwise they feel guilty, which is not good for a developing personality. 4. Industry versus Inferiority: this stage overlaps with Freud’s latency stage, which depicts high energy levels, children at this stage are full of energy and they want to remain active and busy in physical activities. Children who lag behind during this stage may develop a sense of inferiority. 5. Identity versus Role Confusion: this is the most problematic phase for an individual, since a person is undergoing rapid transformations, and this phase of change becomes quiet confusing for individuals, especially when they have to decide their role and position. This stage roughly expands over the teenage years. 6. Intimacy and Isolation: this conflict arises during early adulthood, when people start getting into serious love relationships, however when they do not have a close partnership, they feel isolated. 7. Generativity and Stagnation: Middle adulthood demands progress, but the inability to generate new things creates stagnation. 8. Integrity versus Despair: Last stage of psychosocial development is based on old age, where individuals demand respect for their past professional gains and their position in family and society. Conclusion According to Freud, personality of an individual is determined by nature, and he regards human nature to be evil and driven by sexual energy. While for Erik Erikson nurture in form of society plays a crucial role in the development of personality. Both theories are divided into different stages, but psychosocial theory of development discusses all the different stages till old age, while the psychosexual development takes at a stationary position at genital stage that is achieved at the age of 18. The element of conflict is common in both the theories, but for psychosexual stages, conflicts lead to fixation of a particular stage like oral or anal fixation; where as in case of psychosocial development conflicts may create issues in social development of an individual. One of the most controversial issues in Freud’s theory is the element of incestuous instincts that develop in young children, also known as Oedipus’ complex and Electra’s complex; these instincts are widely criticized by various schools of thought. Some suggest that this issue if considered valid was restricted to Victorian societies. Meanwhile, Erik Erikson does not offer any controversial issue associated with moral unacceptable traits. Overall, Freud’s theory of psychosexual development describes man as a prisoner of desires, which is obviously reflects a negative side of human personality, while on the other hand Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development depict man as a social animal, who has particular needs at specific stages of life that help him or her in getting adjusted into society. References Danie, l. C., & Lawrence, A. P. (n.d.). Personality: Theory and Research. (12, Ed.) Wiley. Read More