CHAPTER 4 - Developmental Theories and Other Relevant Theories

MODULE CHILD ADOLESCENT AND DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 4: Developmental Theories and Other Relevant Theories
Objectives:
a.) Explain Freud’s views about child and adolescent development.
b.) Draw implications of Freud’s theory to education.
FREUD’S PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
SIGMUND FREUD
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a Viennese doctor who
came to believe that the way parents dealt with children's
basic sexual and aggressive desires would determine how
their personalities developed and whether or not they
would end up well-adjusted as adults.
• Freud described children as going through multiple stages
of sexual development, which he labeled Oral, Anal,
Phallic, Latency, and Genital.
STAGES OF SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT
The Role of Conflict

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.
The resolution of each of these conflicts requires the expenditure of sexual energy and
the more energy that is expended at a particular stage, the more the important
characteristics of that stage remain with the individual as he/she matures
psychologically.
To explain this Freud suggested the analogy of
military troops on the march. As the troops advance,
they are met by opposition or conflict. If they are highly
successful in winning the battle (resolving the conflict),
then most of the troops (libido) will be able to move on
to the next battle (stage).
But the greater the difficulty encountered at any
particular point, the greater the need for troops to
remain behind to fight and thus the fewer that will be
able to go on to the next confrontation.
Frustration, Overindulgence, and Fixation

Some people do not seem to be able to leave one stage and proceed on to the
next. One reason for this may be that the needs of the developing individual at any
particular stage may not have been adequately met in which case there is frustration.
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Or possibly the person's needs may have been so well satisfied that he/she is reluctant
to leave the psychological benefits of a particular stage in which there is
overindulgence.
Both frustration and overindulgence (or any combination of the two) may lead to
what psychoanalysts call fixation at a particular psychosexual stage.
Fixation refers to the theoretical notion that a portion of the individual's libido has been
permanently 'invested' in a particular stage of his development.
Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year)

In the first stage of personality development, the libido is centered in a baby's mouth. It
gets much satisfaction from putting all sorts of things in its mouth to satisfy the libido,
and thus its id demands. Which at this stage in life are oral, or mouth orientated, such
as sucking, biting, and breastfeeding.
Freud said oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life. We see oral
personalities all around us such as smokers, nail-biters, finger-chewers, and thumb
suckers. Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviours, particularly when under
stress.
Anal Stage (1 to 3 years)

The libido now becomes focused on the anus, and the child derives great pleasure from
defecating. The child is now fully aware that they are a person in their own right and
that their wishes can bring them into conflict with the demands of the outside world (i.e.,
their ego has developed).
Freud believed that this type of conflict tends to come to a head in potty training, in
which adults impose restrictions on when and where the child can defecate. The nature
of this first conflict with authority can determine the child's future relationship with all
forms of authority.
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Early or harsh potty training can lead to the child becoming an anal-retentive personality
who hates mess, is obsessively tidy, punctual and respectful of authority. They can be
stubborn and tight-fisted with their cash and possessions.
This is all related to pleasure got from holding on to their faeces when toddlers, and
their mum's then insisting that they get rid of it by placing them on the potty until they
perform!
Not as daft as it sounds. The anal expulsive, on the other hand, underwent a liberal
toilet-training regime during the anal stage.
In adulthood, the anal expulsive is the person who wants to share things with you. They
like giving things away. In essence, they are 'sharing their s**t'!' An anal-expulsive
personality is also messy, disorganized and rebellious.
Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years)

Sensitivity now becomes concentrated in the genitals and masturbation (in both sexes)
becomes a new source of pleasure.
The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences, which sets in motion the
conflict between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear which Freud
called the Oedipus complex (in boys) and the Electra complex (in girls).
This is resolved through the process of identification, which involves the child adopting
the characteristics of the same sex parent.
Oedipus Complex
The most important aspect of the phallic stage is the Oedipus complex. This is one of
Freud's most controversial ideas and one that many people reject outright.
The name of the Oedipus complex derives from the Greek myth where Oedipus, a
young man, kills his father and marries his mother. Upon discovering this, he pokes his
eyes out and becomes blind. This Oedipal is the generic (i.e., general) term for both
Oedipus and Electra complexes.
In the young boy, the Oedipus complex or more correctly, conflict, arises because the
boy develops sexual (pleasurable) desires for his mother. He wants to possess his
mother exclusively and get rid of his father to enable him to do so.
Irrationally, the boy thinks that if his father were to find out about all this, his father
would take away what he loves the most. During the phallic stage what the boy loves
most is his penis. Hence the boy develops castration anxiety.
The little boy then sets out to resolve this problem by imitating, copying and joining in
masculine dad-type behaviours. This is called identification, and is how the three-to-
five year old boy resolves his Oedipus complex.
Identification means internally adopting the values, attitudes, and behaviours of another
person. The consequence of this is that the boy takes on the male gender role, and
adopts an ego ideal and values that become the superego.
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Electra Complex
For girls, the Oedipus or Electra complex is less than satisfactory. Briefly, the girl
desires the father, but realizes that she does not have a penis. This leads to the
development of penis envy and the wish to be a boy.
The girl resolves this by repressing her desire for her father and substituting the wish for
a penis with the wish for a baby. The girl blames her mother for her 'castrated state,'
and this creates great tension.
The girl then represses her feelings (to remove the tension) and identifies with the
mother to take on the female gender role.
Latency Stage (6 years to puberty)

No further psychosexual development takes place during this stage (latent means
hidden). The libido is dormant.
Freud thought that most sexual impulses are repressed during the latent stage, and
sexual energy can be sublimated (re: defense mechanisms) towards school work,
hobbies, and friendships. Much of the child's energy is channeled into developing new
skills and acquiring new knowledge, and play becomes largely confined to other
children of the same gender.
Genital Stage (puberty to adult)
This is the last stage of Freud's psychosexual theory of personality development and
begins in puberty. It is a time of adolescent sexual experimentation, the successful
resolution of which is settling down in a loving one-to-one relationship with another
person in our 20's.
Sexual instinct is directed to heterosexual pleasure, rather than self-pleasure like during
the phallic stage.
For Freud, the proper outlet of the sexual instinct in adults was through heterosexual
intercourse. Fixation and conflict may prevent this with the consequence that sexual
perversions may develop.
For example, fixation at the oral stage may result in a person gaining sexual pleasure
primarily from kissing and oral sex, rather than sexual intercourse.
To know more about Psychosexual Development please click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG7yosFQHP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBX7IDuh1bU
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PSYCHOANALYSIS
Overview of Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis emphasizes unconscious, motivation-
main cause of behavior lies buried in the unconscious mind. It
is both an approach to therapy and a theory of personality.
Three Structures of Personality

1.) ID
2.) Ego
3.) Superego
Tripartite Theory of Personality
Freud (1923) saw the personality structured into three parts

(i.e., tripartite), the id, ego, and superego (also known as the psyche), all developing at different
stages in our lives.
These are systems, not parts of the brain, or in any way physical. The id is the primitive and
instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological) components
of personality, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and aggressive
(death) instinct - Thanatos.
It operates on the pleasure principle (Freud, 1920) which is the idea that every wishful impulse
should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences.
The ego develops in order to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world (like
a referee). It is the decision-making component of personality
The ego operates according to the reality principle, working our realistic ways of satisfying the
id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of
society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to
behave. The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from
one's parents and others. It is similar to a conscience, which can punish the ego through
causing feelings of guilt.
To know more about Psychoanalysis please click the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdawTFsCNtc&t=155s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGACJYDYCz4&t=329s
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MODULE CHILD ADOLESCENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 4: Developmental Theories and Other Relevant Theories

FREUD’S PSYCHOSEXUAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

STAGES OF SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT

The Role of Conflict

Frustration, Overindulgence, and Fixation

Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year)

Anal Stage (1 to 3 years)

Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years)

Latency Stage (6 years to puberty)

Genital Stage (puberty to adult)

Three Structures of Personality

Tripartite Theory of Personality

Freud (1923) saw the personality structured into three parts

To know more about Psychoanalysis please click the link below:

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