Psychosexual Development
Freud believed that “the first five years of life are crucial to the formation of adult personality.” (Mcleod, S.A.) The Free Dictionary states that psychosexual development is “the process during which personality and sexual behavior mature.” According to Freudian psychology , psychosexual development is a “central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory, that human beings, from birth, possess an instinctual libido (sexual energy) that develops in five stages.” (Wikipedia) These five stages are the Oral, the Anal, the Phallic, Latency, and Genital Puberty. They occur are different ages and target different erogenous zones. However, if the child does not move past each of these stages in a timely manner is can cause “psychological fixation.” (Wikipedia) As well as the five stages, “the process is also broken into six dimensions.” (Bhyju CMF) These dimensions are the Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, Moral and Spiritual.
In the Physical Dimension, which is said to have the “genetic, biological, hormonal factors that influence our sexual response from the first moments of conception and throughout seasons of our lives”(Bhyju), is started by the Oral stage, which occurs directly after birth until the child is about one-years-old. The mouth is the main focus of “libidinal gratification derived from the pleasure of feeding at the mother’s breast, and from the oral exploration of his or her environment.” (Wikipedia) This is why children put things in their mouths at this stage of their lives. This stage includes the baby sucking, biting, and chewing in order to “satisfy the libido.” (Mcleod.) Freud stated in his book, Three essays on the theory of sexuality, that “oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life.” Examples of Oral personalities are people who smoke, bite their nails, chew their fingers, and even