Freud’s Psychoanalytical Theory

Sigmund Freud has been among the most prominent people in the twentieth century. He made huge contributions to psychology and had studied human mind more deeply than any other who had come before him.

Freud’s psychoanalytical theory implicates the structure of the human mind and explains that the communication between the three constituent parts of the mind, namely the id, ego and superego, brings about the development and shaping of the human personality.

• The id works on the principle of “Pleasure“. It is functioned unconsciously and is regulated by both the ego and superego and their operating principles.
• The Ego operates on the principle of “Reality “and however it functions in fractional consciousness .It regulates the id by gratifying urges when suitable.
• The superego functions consciously and works on the principle of “Morality”. It regulates the id based on social learning and issues of morality.

Freud believed that these three structures were in constant disagreement and the results of these internal struggles throughout upbringing were thought to shape the human personality and behavior.

He defined five fundamental stages of maturity that he assumed were decisive for the growth of adult behavior. Each stage dealing with the different physical centre of pleasure. He called his idea the psychosexual theory of development.

Five Stages of Development

The conflicts between the three structures appear at all the five stages of development. These 5 stages of development are;

Oral Stage

The Oral stage’s operating centre is the oral cavity. The aim of this stage is to build up early skills such as sucking, biting, eating and talking which aid in the progress of early skills such as breastfeeding and speaking. Infants who do not master this stage are most likely to face oral issues such as smoking and nail biting.

Anal Stage

The anal stages main functioning centre is the anal cavity. It is one of the first challenges for a baby to control its excretion. The aim of this stage is to master this skill of proper toilet training. Children who do not satisfactorily master this are most likely to result in anal retentive or anal repulsive behaviors in which one is overly clean and the other is overly messy.

Phallic Stage

[large]The main center of the phallic stage is the genital organ in either males or the females. Boys build up the oedipal complex with affection for their mothers while girls develop the Elektra complex with affection for their fathers. The aim of this period is to master this internal clash and move toward more suitable sexual desires. Children who do not satisfactorily master this phase are most likely to face phallic fixations which adversely influence their relationships with their parents.

Latency Stage

The Main pleasure centre are the hidden sexual feelings for opposite gender. Here the child consolidates character habits developed in the previous three stages. These stages require the successful mastery for a mature, adult personality before puberty. However failing to succeed this stage may result in fixations on socially unacceptable activities.

Genital stage

The main pleasure centre is the flow of sexual hormones in the body. A successful relationship must settle between two in order to master this stage. However failing to master it results in fixations on sex and tend to have unsuccessful relationships in life.