Freud and the Theory of Development

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Theories of Development Essay 16/11/2014 1. Introduction “No one who has seen a baby sinking back satiated from the breast and falling asleep with flushed cheeks and a blissful smile can escape the reflection that this picture persists as a prototype of the expression of sexual satisfaction in later life.” (Freud, 1905, pg 182) When Freud’s work, “Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality” was first published in 1905, the idea that the development of children could be connected to sexuality was a completely foreign one. To some, living in a Victorian age as they were, it seemed absurd to link sexual urges to an infant. However, in these essays, Freud argued that perversion was present even among the healthy and that the path towards a mature & normal sexual attitude began not at puberty, but at early childhood. In The Three Essays, Freud outlines his theory of libido. Freud believed that sexuality was a key component of childrens’ development and that we develop in stages as our sexual energy shifts around the body. Looking at children, Freud claimed that a number of practices which looked innocuous, but were really forms of sexual activity (thumb-sucking being a primary example). The Essays also include the concepts of penis envy, castration anxiety and Oedipus Complex. It is the aim of this essay to explore Freuds’ argument for a psychodynamic perspective on development; establishing whether there is indeed evidence that child development can be linked to sexual urges, particularly an unconscious level. Freuds’ case study on child development, “Analysis of a phobia in a 5 year old boy”, more commonly known as “Little Hans” will be used as a resource to investigate Freuds’ conclusions, in particular in relation to phobias and their role in development, castration anxiety and the Oedipus Complex. By way of contrast and comparison, Lacans’ stance on the
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