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Introduction
The development of a person right from birth to adulthood goes through various stages. Some of the characters that a person adapts to are natural, while others come from those who affect the individual’s life. Both natural and nurture behaviors shape a person’s future attitudes.
Psychosexual Development
Freud’s Theory
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development states that the age of five establishes the personality. The experiences in one’s early life help to develop a person and influence behavior in his or her later stages in life (Diem-Wille, 2011). If a person skips certain steps during this development, he or she becomes fixated at that stage.
The oral stage ranges from birth to one year. The infant’s primary interaction method is through the mouth. It includes sucking and chewing. The child satisfies needs by tasting, sucking, and eating. One of the conflicts at this stage is weaning to make the child less dependent on caretakers. If fixation occurs at this stage, the child will have dependency issues in later life (Webb, 2009).
The anal stage concentrates on the control of the bladder and bowel movements. When the child develops this control, there is some sense of accomplishment and independence. Parents need to train the child on toilet activities, praise, and reward the child for positive results. However, ridicule and wrong parental responses usually lead to adverse outcomes.
The phallic stage ranges between three and six years. The primary concern is on the genitals. Children start differentiating between males and females (Wilkoff, 2011). Boys learn more towards the mother and see the father as a rival. The boy would also fear punishment from the father for harboring this feeling. The girls go through the penis envy. She begins to have strong attraction feelings towards the father and sees the mother as a rival.
The latent stage starts from the age of six years to puberty. There is the suppression of the libido interests. It leads to the development of the ego and the superego. The child adapts to peer relationships and hobbies because of schooling. The sexual energy changes to intellectual pursuits and social interests. It helps to build self-confidence (Diem-Wille, 2011).
The genital stage begins at puberty through to death. The person develops strong sexual attractions in the opposite sex. The person generates interest in others. If the earlier stages developed successfully, then the person enjoys greater freedom, becomes more caring and well-balanced at this juncture.
Development of the Psychoanalytic Theory
Freud’s theory is still relevant in the various study of a person’s development. There have been actual observations and also criticism from different quarters. Freud’s children went further and developed more study on their father’s theory.
Kohut is another figure who has thrived on the self-psychology principles. It relies on the formation of the sense of self, which is different from Freud’s formative stages (Shenk, 2010). Jung and Karen Horney separately studied collective unconsciousness, which is present in all people. Many other theories have developed concerning Freud’s studies, which have influenced personality development. Alfred Adler came up with the theory of the psychodynamic person that did not relate to sexual development but social development. Erik Erikson developed the psychosocial theory of development where character’s development goes through a series of social relationships. They have all developed their theories around Freud’s discoveries.
According to the study, one’s life as a child is under the influence of the caretakers. If the parents or guardians fail to provide a positive environment for growth, then the child may have to carry along those values into the adult stage. When the child gets proper training, then it helps to prepare him for the future.
References
Diem-Wille, G. (2011). The early years of life. London: Karnac.
Shenk, D. (2010). The genius in all of us. New York: Anchor Books.
Webb, E. (2009). Worldview and mind. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.
Wilkoff, W. (2011). Nature vs. nurture. Pediatric News, 45(10), 23.
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