Psychosexual Development: Freud's Stages

Psychosexual Development Theory (Sigmund Freud)

• Libido is the life force, manifested as sexual desire.
• The erogenous zone is the body part where pleasure is felt.
• Fixation refers to being stuck in a stage due to unresolved conflicts.
• Features of the theory include the id (instincts), ego (reality), and superego (morality).

Five Psychosexual Stages

• Oral Stage (0-12 months) involves the mouth (breastfeeding, pacifier).
• Oral stage fixation can manifest as oral-aggressive (sarcasm) or oral-passive (overeating, smoking) behaviors.
• Anal Stage (1-3 years) involves the anus (toilet training).
• Anal stage fixation can manifest as anal-retentive (perfectionist) or anal-expulsive (messy) traits.
• Phallic Stage (3-6 years) involves the genitals (gender identity).
• Phallic stage fixation may result in Oedipus/Electra complex.
• Latency Stage (6-puberty) involves no erogenous zone, but a focus on social and intellectual pursuits.
• Genital Stage (puberty-adulthood) involves the genitals (intimacy, relationships).

Defense Mechanisms

• Repression involves blocking out painful memories.
• Denial involves refusing to accept reality.
• Projection involves attributing one's feelings to others.
• Rationalization involves justifying behaviors.
• Displacement involves redirecting emotions to a safer target.
• Regression involves reverting to childish behavior.
• Sublimation comprises channeling impulses into productive activities.
• Reaction Formation involves acting the opposite of true feelings.

Psychosocial Development Theory (Erik Erikson)

• Erikson expanded Freud's stages to eight across the lifespan.
• It focuses on social and cultural influences.
• A core concept is Identity crisis (adolescence, midlife).

Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development

• Trust vs. Mistrust (0-18 months) leads to Hope.
• Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt (18 months-3 years) leads to Willpower.
• Initiative vs. Guilt (3-5 years) leads to Purpose.
• Industry vs. Inferiority (5-12 years) leads to Competence.
• Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years) leads to Fidelity.
• Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-40 years) leads to Love.
• Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65 years) leads to Care.
• Integrity vs. Despair (65+ years) leads to Wisdom.

Analytical Psychology (Carl Jung)

• The conscious mind is awareness of thoughts and feelings.
• The personal unconscious contains individual memories and experiences.
• The collective unconscious is comprised of shared human instincts and archetypes.

Key Archetypes

• Self: The integrated personality.
• Persona: The social mask.
• Shadow: The hidden dark side.
• Anima/Animus: The feminine side in men, masculine side in women.
• Hero, Wise Old Man/Woman, Trickster, Great Mother, Maiden, Child: These are mythic symbols.

Other Key Concepts

• Individuation: Balancing conscious/unconscious elements.
• Synchronicity: Meaningful coincidences.
• Extraversion vs. Introversion: Energy directed outward vs. inward.
• Psychological Types: Thinking, feeling, sensing, intuiting.

Personality Theory (Alfred Adler)

• The inferiority complex involves overcoming weaknesses.
• Striving for superiority involves self-improvement and mastery.
• Social interest consists of cooperation and community focus.
• Style of life encompasses unique coping strategies.
• Birth order means personality is influenced by family position.
• Fictional finalism means motivation through future aspirations.
• Creative self is the ability to shape personality.
• Encouragement is key to personal growth.

Classical Conditioning (Ivan Pavlov)

• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Naturally triggers a response (food).
• Unconditioned Response (UCR): Natural reaction (salivation).
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Neutral stimulus associated with UCS (bell).
• Conditioned Response (CR): Learned response to CS (salivation to bell).

Key Principles related to Classical Conditioning

• Acquisition is defined as learning the association.
• Extinction happens as a response fades without reinforcement.
• Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a response.
• Generalization entails responding to similar stimuli.
• Discrimination is differentiating between stimuli.

Cognitive Development Theory (Jean Piaget)

• Children actively construct knowledge through interaction with their environment.

Four Stages of Development

• Sensorimotor (0-2 years): Learning through senses & actions; develops object permanence.
• Preoperational (2-7 years): Symbolic thinking emerges, but reasoning is egocentric and lacks conservation.
• Concrete Operational (7-11 years): Logical thinking develops; understands conservation and classification.
• Formal Operational (12+ years): Abstract and hypothetical thinking emerges.

Key Concepts

• Schemas: Mental frameworks for understanding the world.
• Assimilation: Integrating new info into existing schemas.
• Accommodation: Adjusting schemas to fit new information.

Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura)

• People learn by observing others (observational learning).

Key Processes

• Attention: Focus on behavior.
• Retention: Remembering behavior.
• Reproduction: Ability to replicate behavior.
• Motivation: Reward/punishment influences imitation.

Key Concepts

• Reciprocal Determinism: Behavior, personal factors, and environment influence each other.
• Vicarious Reinforcement: Learning by seeing others rewarded/punished.
• Self-Efficacy: Belief in one's ability to succeed.
• Bobo Doll Experiment: Demonstrated learned aggression through observation.

Moral Development Theory (Lawrence Kohlberg)

• Moral reasoning evolves through six stages within three levels.

Stages of Moral Development

• Preconventional (self-interest):
  • Stage 1: Obedience & punishment (avoiding punishment).
  • Stage 2: Self-interest (personal benefits).
• Conventional (social approval & order):
  • Stage 3: Interpersonal relationships (seeking approval).
  • Stage 4: Law & order (following rules for societal stability).
• Postconventional (universal principles):
  • Stage 5: Social contract (laws should serve justice).
  • Stage 6: Universal ethical principles (morality based on justice & equality).
• Moral development progresses from self-centered reasoning to ethical principles.

Hierarchy of Needs (Abraham Maslow)

• Humans must satisfy basic needs before reaching self-fulfillment.
• Physiological Needs: Food, water, shelter.
• Safety Needs: Security, stability.
• Love & Belongingness: Relationships, social connections.
• Esteem Needs: Confidence, recognition.
• Self-Actualization: Personal growth, reaching full potential.
• Higher-level needs become a focus only after lower needs are met.

Humanistic Theory (Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow)

• This includes focuses on personal growth, free will, and self-actualization.

Key Concepts (Carl Rogers)

• Self-Actualization means becoming the best version of oneself.
• Self-Concept denotes how a person views themselves.
• Unconditional Positive Regard is acceptance without judgment.
• Free Will & Choice means people have control over their decisions.
• Focus on Present & Future means emphasizes current potential rather than past experiences.
• Humanistic psychology believes in the innate goodness of people and their ability to grow.