overindulgence. Frustration or overindulgence results in fixation at a psychosexual stage. Fixation involves leaving a portion of libido permanently
invested in a stage development which has passed and is analogous to the dead troops left behind in battle. The amount of libido fixated is dependent on the
severity of the conflict. Inevitably, some libido is fixated at each psychosexual stage. When the
proportion of libido fixated at an earlier stage of development is small, only vestiges of earlier modes of obtaining satisfaction are seen in later behavior.
However, when a substantial proportion of libido is fixated at an earlier stage, the individual’s personality may become dominated by modes of obtaining
satisfaction or tension reduction which were used in the earlier stage. The psychosexual development divided into phases or stages, here, will be
explained each of the stage.
1. Oral Stage
During the first year of life, the child’s mouth is the most prominent source of both his tension reduction e.g. eating and his pleasurable sensations
e.g., sucking. The child is said to be in the oral stage of development since the libido is centered in the oral cavity. Many neo-Freudians have broadened Freud’s
basic notions concerning oral stage. These early experiences, attitudes, and aspects of social interaction are the
prototypes for all future social behavior. Individuals who are fixated at the oral stage are likely hold an optimistic view of the world, to develop dependant
relationship in the adulthood, to be unusually friendly and generous, and to expect the world, in turn to ‘mother’ them. It is important to note that this type of
theorizing, which is central to psychoanalytic thinking, lays the groundwork for explaining whole patterns of behavior in terms of early events and sets the tone
for categorizing adults into character types e.g. an oral character. Some neo-Freudians have divided the oral stage into two phases. Thus far
in the discussion only the first phase, oral eroticism, has been described. It is characterized by the pleasure of sucking and oral incorporation. The second phase,
oral sadism, commences with the eruption of teeth and may be viewed as representing the development of the aggressive drive. Biting and chewing now
become part of the child’s behavioral repertoire, and he is able to behave aggressively and destructively. A person fixated at this second phase of the oral
stage is likely to be pessimistic, cynical, and aggressive in later life. Weaning is the crucial conflict of the oral stage. The more difficult it is for
the child to leave his mother’s breast or his bottle and its accompanying sucking pleasure, the greater will be the proportion of his libido which is fixated at the oral
stage.
2. Anal Stage
With the weaning of the child, the libido shifts from the oral region to the area of the anus. Pleasure is obtained at first from expelling feces and later from
retaining them. This is not to say that the child did not derive similar pleasure during the oral stage. However, during the second and third years of life, anal
pleasure predominates just as oral pleasure predominated during the first year of life. Up until the anal stage, relatively few demands are made on the child. During
the second year of life, however, parents in most Western cultures begin to make demands on their offspring, particularly with respect to bowel and bladder control.
The conflict in the anal stage pits the sexual drive for pleasure, derived from the tension reduced by defecation, against the constraints of society, which require
that the child develop self-control with respect to excretion. If the child is able to easily accede to his parents’ toilet training demands,
he will develop the basis for successful self-control. However, the child may have difficulty in developing sphincter control and thus meeting the increasing
demands of his parents. Two fundamental strategies for coping with the frustration of toilet training are open to the child. He may attempt to
‘counterattack’ by defecating at the moments which are inconvenient for his parents e.g. immediately after being taken off the potty if the child discovers
that this is a successful means of social control, he may come to employ the same type of strategy for handling frustration in general.
Alternatively, the child may adopt the strategy of meeting his parents’ demands by complete retention of his feces. This in itself is pleasurable i.e.
gentle pressure against the intestinal walls, and, in addition, it may prove to be a powerful way of manipulating his parents e.g. through their increased concern
over his failure to have bowel movement. If the tactic is successful, it may set the stage for similar behavior patterns in later life. Persons who are stingy, hoarding,
and stubborn are often termed anal retentive characters.
3. Phallic Stage
