Psychosexual Theory Analysis

PSYCHOSEXUAL THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT
This is an assignment given in Adolescence and Learning to explore Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory of development. This theory describes how the personality is developed over the course of childhood through various fixations at each stage. The five stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital. Each of the psychosexual stages is associated with a particular conflict that must be resolved before the individual can successfully advance to the next stage (McLeod, 2008). According to Freud, a person who successfully completes these stages forms a successful and healthy personality whereas if certain conflicts are not resolved at the appropriate stage fixations occurs which result in failure

They begin to behave in more acceptable ways in the society and adopt the ways of their parents and adults. The children at this stage are more attracted to the same sex than the opposite sex and like to spend more time with the children of same sex. To let the children successfully complete this stage, we as parents can allow the children to spend more time with their peers, give play time for the kids, let them enjoy with children of same sex, provide them proper schooling, let them enjoy their hobby, parents be a role model to children and show and tell them the laws and rules in the society.
Genital stage (puberty onwards)
This is the last stage of Freud’s theory of psychosexual development which emerge at the time of puberty. The child’s sexual impulses are again active in this stage and their primary focus of pleasure lies in the genitals. In order to fulfill their sexual drives in this stage, they form loving rel ationships towards opposite sex out of their family. A person who successfully completes this stage will

Critiques of Freud’s psychosexual theory of development
The biggest criticism of Freud’s theory is that it is too much focused on human sexuality. Many psychologists say that when Freud create this theory, he mainly collected information about his adult patients not through observations or study of children. Instead of conducting empirical researches he based this theory upon case studies. Additionally, Feminists believe that it is excessively dependent upon male perspectives and very rarely Freud has related and communicated the female desires.
Furthermore, psychologists say that the future predictions of this theory are too vague. The length of time between causes and effects are too long to assume which means that the causes during the childhood is difficult to observe in the adulthood as it takes years. (Wagner, n.d.)
Adolescence & Learning (0765) – Assignment 1 Shifza Zahir / 5589
Bachelor of Education – Primary and Middle School 5
Conclusion
According to Freud, each stage of psychosexual development should be met successfully for