Freudian Psychosexual Development
Sexual infantilism — In pursuing and satisfying his or her libido (sexual drive), the child might experience failure (parental and societal disapproval) and thus might associate anxiety with the given erogenous zone. To avoid anxiety, the child becomes fixated, preoccupied with the psychologic themes related to the erogenous zone in question, which persist into adulthood, and underlie the personality and psychopathology of the man or woman, as neurosis, hysteria, personality disorders, et cetera.
| Stage | Age Range | Erogenous zone | Consequences of psychologic fixation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | Birth–1 year | Mouth | Orally aggressive: chewing gum and the ends of pencils, etc. Orally Passive: smoking, eating, kissing, oral sexual practices Oral stage fixation might result in a passive, gullible, immature, manipulative personality. |
| Anal | 1–3 years | Bowel and bladder elimination | Anal retentive: Obsessively organized, or excessively neat Anal expulsive: reckless, careless, defiant, disorganized, coprophiliac |
| Phallic | 3–6 years | Genitalia | Oedipus complex (in boys and girls); according to Sigmund Freud.
Electra complex (in girls); according to Carl Jung. |
| Latency | 6–puberty | Dormant sexual feelings | Sexual unfulfillment if fixation occurs in this stage. |
| Genital | Puberty–death | Sexual interests mature | Frigidity, impotence, unsatisfactory relationships |
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