Definition
Psychosexual stages of development, observed by Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, represent maturational processes by which a child’s innate biological drives interact with different erogenous zones to influence personality. Different conflicts emerge in relation to the psychosexual stages of childhood, and these conflicts are reworked during adolescent development in response to hormonal changes and new psychosocial stresses in ways that are unique and characteristic of the individual.
Description
An unusually integrative and creative thinker, Freud’s theory of psychosexual development can be best understood in relation to his other ideas about childhood sexuality [11], instincts [12], and the oedipal conflict, superego, and structural theory [14]. Other sources provide an overview of components of Freud’s theory [3, 20, 25, 26]. The purpose of this entry is to orient the reader to psychosexuality...
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Yalof, J. (2011). Psychosexual Stages, of Freud. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2310
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