pass through five critical phases.

Our sex drive, which Freud called the Libido,

focuses in a different erogenous zone at each phase.

The phases are called Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital.

If our experience during any of these phases was traumatic

we might develop fixations later in life such as neurosis, dependencies addictions,

or depression.

The Oral Phase, age zero to one.

In the first year of our

lives we discover the world through our oral

senses. Our main pleasure comes from sucking our mother's breast or a bottle.

The conflict that occurs now is the weaning from our primary caregiver.

Hans is weaned off his mother's breast without trauma.

Ernst's mother stops feeding him within four months of birth

which is too early.

Ida is often left alone

crying when she is hungry.

Hans becomes a healthy and independent

adult. Ernst suffers from trauma and develops

an oral fixation. He tries to compensate for it by chewing

gum all the time. Ida spends her entire life looking for

the oral stimulation she was denied as an

infant and therefore develops a manipulative and addictive personality.

The a=Anal Phase, age one to three.

The primary focus of our Libido at this

age is the control of the bladder and bowel movements.

We have to learn how to use the potty. Han's parents

praise his attempts to use the toilet and encourage him to learn at his own

pace. Ernst's parents force potty training on

him too early and punish him for mistakes. Ida's

parents neglect any efforts at potty training entirely.

Hans develops a competent personality and a good and balanced relationship

with authority. Ernst develops an anal retentive

personality. He becomes an over-controlling and

stingy adult with disgust for his own body and a

tendency to obey authority. Ida develops an anal expulsive

personality. She becomes messy disorganized

inconsiderate of other people's feelings and rebellious against authority.

The Phallic Phase, age three to six.

Our Libido now turns to the genitals as

we discover the differences between the female and the male

gender. The boy's conflict in this phase occurs as a rivalry with their father,

also called the 'Oedipus Complex'. Ernst and Hands desire to possess their mother

and fantasize about getting rid of their father

But they know that their father is stronger and fear being

punished for their desire. Freud called this

'Castration Anxiety'. Ida experiences 'Penis Envy'. She believes that a penis is

the key to power and domination and also wants one.

Han's father was very present during that phase.

Later, Hans resolves this conflict by identifying strongly with him.

He learns to take on a male role. As an adult he respects both genders. Ernst,

whose father was absent during that phase, fails to develop a strong sense of

manhood. He has a mother fixation and is not sure

about his sexuality. He also tends to be aggressive towards

women and constantly needs to compete with other

men. Ida, like all women, maintains her penis envy

for the rest of her life which in her case causes an inferiority

complex towards men.

Latent Phase, age seven to thirteen.

In this phase our Libido is suppressed

as our sexual energy is being sublimed into developing

life skills. Our Superego strengthens and we strongly identify with social

values, same-sex heroes, and friends.

Hans follows many hobbies. Ernst loves learning at school,

and Ida makes lots of new girlfriends.

There is no real conflict in this phase. All three of them benefit for the rest

of their lives from the skills they developed

during latency.

The Genital Phase, puberty to death.

Once we reach puberty our libido starts to become

active again and we develop an interest in sexual partners.

Hans, Ida and Ernst face the challenge of balancing the sexual desires of the

Id and the needs of the Superego to obey

social norms. The development of a strong Ego helps to

find a compromise between the two.

Hans, who has experienced a childhood without much trauma,

succeeds in building a strong Ego. He is disciplined at work,

has a loving relationship. and a fulfilled sex

life. Ernst's Ego is weaker than his superego

he obeys norms and authorities and as a result

suppresses his desires which leads to the development of perversions.

Ida has a weak Ego and a weak Superego. Her sexual needs are more important than

social norms or other people's feelings. She is egoistic and feels no guilt for

breaking the law or hurting others.

To understand the theory we need to see it in the context of

Freud's famous work on the unconscious. By acknowledging that we have a

subconscious. He also implied that we store memories

of early childhood and other experiences without even

realizing it. These past experiences then

unconsciously influence our behavior on a daily basis.

Freud claimed that our mind operates in three spheres

which we can imagine as a submarine. The Unconscious

level operates the Id. The Preconscious level operates the

Superego. The Conscious and Preconscious levels

operate our Ego. Young children are driven by the Id and

demand immediate satisfaction. At around age seven we begin to develop a

Superego and want to become good moral

citizens and please others. The Ego is formed with

adolescence to balance the two forces.

Sigmund Shlomo Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of

Psychoanalysis. Freud theorized that the Unconscious would remember and store

all our experiences later they pop up from time to time

through dreams and associative thoughts. By revealing traumatic memories and

desires through conversation we can free ourselves from our neuroses

and live a more healthy and fulfilled life. He recommended we should not strive

to eliminate our complexes but to get into accord with them. They

are legitimately what directs our conduct in the world.

What do you think about this theory and the practice of psychoanalysis?

Is there some truth in it? Do we have an unconscious?

If so does it really store all our childhood experiences

and influence our behavior as adults? Please share your thoughts in the

comments below!

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