His work on sexuality and perversions led to the wider theory of sexuality whereby he differentiated the sexual aim (the desire for pleasure) and the object (the person or thing used to fulfil the desire). He asserted that sexuality is more than just genital copulation between adults and this work is the background to his theory on infantile sexuality. He emphasised particular erogenous zones as being of primary importance at different stages of infancy. Each stage impacts in three significant ways: physical focus where the child’s energy may be concentrated and their gratification obtained; psychologically through demands being made of the child by the outside world as he or she develops – either doing too much or not enough of what is ideal;
Psychoanalysis was sprung up and dully applied as a psychological problem solving method by Sigmund Freud. Nevertheless, Psychoanalysis indicates that development are completely dependent on the comatose mind. Psychoanalysis holds that early life know-hows are very important in development. In the process of talking to his patients about their problems, Freud realized that their problems were an offshoot of their experiences in life. According to Sigmund Freud, as children grow up pleasure and sexual impulses shifts from the mouth to the anus and gradually shifts to the genitals.
Regression, according Freud, is a defense mechanism leading to the temporary or long-term reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way. The defense mechanism of regression occurs when an individual's personality reverts to an earlier stage of development, adopting more childish mannerisms. (Passer et al,2009) During the Oral phase, children gain primary satisfaction from the consumption of food, sucking on a breast, a thumb or some other object. According to Freud, either excessive gratification or frustration of oral needs can result in fixation on oral themes of self-indulgence or dependency as a result. (Passer 2009) This type of personality could have a higher tendency to smoke,
Finally, other psychoanalytical concepts will be discussed. Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychosexual and psychoanalytic theory. His psychosexual theory states that erogenous zones differ at various times throughout development (Cervone, & Pervin, 2010). The first stage is the oral stage which sensual gratification focuses on the mouth (Cervone, & Pervin, 2010). The second stage is the anal stage which Freud believed there is an enjoyment in the anus and in the movement of feces through the anal canal (Cervone, & Pervin, 2010).
This stage is when the primary goes from the libido area to the genitals. This is the stage when children discover the difference between male and female. The child begins to identify with the same sex parents and their personality begins to fully develop. Latency Period happens when the child age ranges six to when they hit puberty. This is the start development of ego and super ego.
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was created to help measure the needs for power, intimacy, and achievement in regards to motivation. The motivational view I agree with the least is the psychoanalytic view. “The psychoanalytic view of human motivation suggests that behavior is ultimately determined by unconscious sexual and aggressive drives and by the complex intrapsychic conflicts that arise in daily life.” (Pinel, J.P.J. 2008. p. 299). Freud had some beliefs that I believe have been outdated and further researched since his time.
Every child must pass through the so-called psycho-sexual stages; how a child experiences these stages plays a crucial role in the development of his/her personality. A child who becomes fixated at the oral stage may have an oral receptive personality and be very trusting and dependent on others, or he may develop an oral aggressive personality and become aggressive and dominating as an adult. The phallic personality type may be over-confident, vain and impulsive while the genital personality type become well-adjusted, mature, able to love and be loved. Therefore, the psychodynamic approach suggests that mental illness occurs as a result of psychological problems, not physical problems as suggested by the biological approach. A strength of the psychodynamic approach is that it reminds us that experiences in childhood can affect us throughout our lives without us being aware that it is happening.
Freud believed that it was possible to link the psychosexual stages of development with adult neuroses. Freud identified that if the psychosexual stages of development where in any way interrupted at a certain time, then this would cause problems in later life. “Psychosexual development according to Freud proceeds as a series of interactions between dispositions and environment, mediated by a developing ego.” (Freud & Horney, Grossman,1986, p5) Thus, Freud stated that there were different stages of psychosexual
Sigmund Freud differed from B.F. Skinner in terms of approaching human behavior. Sigmund Freud was a psychodynamic psychologist. His idea about human behavior and development shows that behavior throughout life is motivated by inner, unconscious forces, stemming from childhood, over which people have little control. He focused on the realm of the unconscious mind and the defense mechanism of repression. He created the clinical practice of psychoanalysis for curing the mind ailment-psychopathology.
Psychoanalysis is in relation to Freud’s explanation of personality, moral development and psychosexual stages of development. The personality is developed through these psychosexual stages through the resolution of a conflict. Gender identity is developed at the phallic stage, which is 3 to 7 years. The conflict here is the sexual attraction, that the child is faced with, to the opposite sex parent. Resolving this conflict leads to gender identity.