Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory

Final Research Paper
Name
Psy 87500: Advanced Theories of Personality
California Southern University
Final Research Paper
I often find myself thinking about development and how a person grows from an innocent child to a mature adult capable of good and evil actions. My experiences during childhood are critical in determining the kind of person I am now. I have gained insights about myself from people close to me as I grew up, including my parents, friends, siblings, and business associates. The following theories have been vital in understanding how my personality is shaped and develops as I grow up.
Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory
Sigmund Freud's psychosexual stage theory is useful in understanding a person's development from birth to adulthood. It involves the use of five stages which are known as the psychosexual stages. These stages are critical in developing personality, and it takes place in several phases: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages (Maree, 2020). Each state involves sexual energy or libido expression and is exhibited in different body parts and different ways. The theory hypothesizes that as a person grows older, certain areas of the body evolve to become a source of pleasure or frustration or both.
The first stage occurs during the first year when the child is born, the oral stage. This is a time when a child is most satisfied via their mouth. During the oral stage, the baby likes to put things in their mouth, such as toys or anything they can get their hands on. The urge to place things in the mouth is due to the need to meet the demands of the id (Giordano, 2020). At the oral stage, everything is mouth-oriented such as breastfeeding, biting, or sucking. My parents used to tell me that I used to suckle my mother for almost an hour when I was starving. I was also very playful, and they had to hide everything to avoid placing them in my mouth. They still have several pictures of me suckling on my thumb, which can be attributed to the oral stage. Oral fixation is linked to fixations later in life, such as smoking or sucking the thumb. However, I have not started to behave in a fixated manner.
The second stage occurs when the child is between ages 1 to 3 years, the anal stage. During this stage, the libido is centered on the anus, and the child gets pleasure from defecating. The child begins to understand the concept of creativity and control, and they start acknowledging and meeting the demands of culture and society. Potty training is a good example where the child first experiences authority and restrictions (Giordano, 2020). If the child goes through harsh or early potty training, they will grow up to be respectful to authority while also disliking mess. This also means they are aware that their demands can conflict with society's needs (Durrant & Ensom, 2020). My parents told me that I was very inconsiderate while I was between 2-3 years. For instance, I often demanded them to get me candy since I thought they were free and I "owned the world." Despite the negative moments, I was very respectful and did everything my parents told me to do. I felt that I had to be loyal to them and their demands too. As I grew up, I have often been keen to respect authority, and I could attribute it to the strict potty training that I experienced. My parents ensured that I was very tidy at that age, and the same behaviors have still been part of my personality today.
The third stage occurs between ages 3-6 years, phallic stage. This phase is characterized by heightened genital self-stimulation and sensitivity. The person is also going through an internal conflict between pursuing sexual satisfaction and being aware that it is not acceptable (Durrant & Ensom, 2020). The child becomes aware of the anatomical differences during this period, which marks the start of a conflict between fear, erotic attraction, rivalry and resentment called the Electra complex in girls or the Oedipus complex in boys (Durrant & Ensom, 2020). This phase also involves internalizing the parent's morals and values. Identification entails adopting the behaviors, attitudes, and values of another person. In this case, the boys adopt the male gender role, and they follow an ego ideal that forms their superego. Girls initially desire the father before realizing that they do not have a penis. The girl will then blame the mother for the lack of a penis, and they will start to desire a child. However, the girl is forced to repress this feel, and this is done by adopting the female gender roles and becoming close to the mother (Durrant & Ensom, 2020). I remember at that age, I was looking up to my parents as my role models. I was already sure that I would pursue the same career as my father, and I also agreed with his views and ideas about life and work. My parents were keen to talk to me about my future and ambitions, and I was keen to follow the gender expectations since I identified more with the same-sex parent.
The fourth stage is between ages 6-12 years, the latency stage. At this stage, the ego matures and limits the need for sexual stimulation. The focus is on the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of relating. The libido is not active, and the sexual energy is redirected to other activities like creating close friendships, hobbies, or school work (Giasuddin & Hossain, 2020). During this stage, I was very focused on becoming top in my class. I also took part in different hobbies after school, such as music which allowed me to use my energy to develop new skills.
The fifth stage is between 18-60 years, the genital stage. Sexual maturity occurs at this stage as the person starts to pursue more sexual relationships. The person is no longer limited to their family of origin. Instead, they start to look for other kinds of relationships, focusing on maintaining a permanent sexual partner (Durrant & Ensom, 2020). I have a similar experience since I now focus on marriage and growing old with a family. I think sexual maturity entails being aware of our sexual needs and controlling them. Sexual instinct entails heterosexual pleasure instead of self-pleasure, like the case of the phallic phase. Freud suggests that the best way to let go of sexual urges is through heterosexual intercourse (Giasuddin & Hossain, 2020). Despite this, conflict and fixation can lead to sexual perversions that are unwanted. An example is where a person only derives sexual pressure from oral kissing instead of sexual intercourse. My main issue with this stage is that it only focuses on the erotic aspect of the individual. Freud suggests that infants are capable of erotic pleasure from birth. As a mature person, I always consider satisfying my sexual needs based on socially acceptable ways. Some of the issues I consider important include group activities, raising a family, and socialization.
The Big Five Personality Traits
The theory suggests that everyone has five district personality traits. These are known as the big five and include neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, and extraversion (Buecker et al. 2020). Each of the personality traits also reflects a range of extremes based on a continuum. It means that a person can have traits like somewhere between the continuum of each dimension.
The first trait is openness, and it entails being imaginative and insightful. An open person tends to have various interests, and they are curious about the world (Buecker et al. 2020). The person is keen to learn new things and be exposed to new experiences. Individuals with high levels of openness tend to be very creative and adventurous. People who have a low level of this trait have problems with abstract thinking and are more traditional (Buecker et al., 2020)....