|
|
|
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsSocial Media, Binge Eating Often Go Together for KidsStressed and Distracted, Kids and Their Teachers Say Virtual Learning Isn't WorkingSports Position Doesn't Affect Risk of Concussion-Linked CTE IllnessPandemic Putting Added Strain on Parents of Kids With CancerDogs and Kids Are 'In Sync,' Study ShowsTeachers Main Drivers of School COVID Outbreaks, So Vaccinations Needed: StudyTips to Keep Young Athletes Injury-FreeMental Illness in Childhood Could Mean Worse Physical Health Decades LaterKids' Robust Immune Systems May Shield Them From COVID-19: StudyFertility Treatments Might Affect Kids' Growth, But Not for LongMom's Heart Health While Pregnant Could Influence Her Child's Health for YearsPandemic Has Affected Kids' Dental Health: PollNew Rabies Prevention Treatment Also Works in Kids: StudyWhen Will Kids Get the COVID Vaccines?U.S. Schools Can Reopen, With Safeguards in Place: CDCFetal Surgery Is Changing Lives for Kids With Spina BifidaKids Who Got Flu Shot Had Milder COVID Symptoms: StudyVery Little Spread of Coronavirus at Kids' Day Camps: StudyWhen Kids Misbehave, 'Verbal Reasoning' Can Sometimes BackfireVaccines Saved 37 Million Lives, Mostly Children, Over Past Two DecadesAnchor It! Toppling TVs, Furniture Can Injure and Kill KidsWhy Do Black Children Get Fewer Scans When They're Seen in ERs?Pandemic May Be Affecting How Parents Feed Their KidsRace Plays Role in Kids' Food Allergies: StudyToo Many Kids With Special Needs Are Going Without Adequate SupportThere’s ‘A Path Forward’ to Reopening Schools, CDC Officials SayKids Aren't Scared by Medical Workers' PPE, Study FindsHand Sanitizer Is Harming Kids' Eyes, Often SeriouslyKids Highly Likely to Transmit Coronavirus to Others: StudyKids' ER Visits for Injuries Rose During Lockdown, While Non-Injury Cases FellShould Your Child Get a COVID Test?Climate Change Is Spurring Malnutrition in Kids WorldwideNew Year, New Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe and HealthyAHA News: Pandemic Pods Offer Social Relief, But There Are RisksPediatricians' Group Says School Is Priority, With Proper Safety MeasuresKids With Congenital Heart Disease Face Higher Odds of Mental Health IssuesReady to Resume Sports? Health Tips for Getting Back in the GameMasks Don't Mask Others' Emotions for KidsCould Going Vegetarian Lower Kids' Asthma Risk?Parents Feel the Strain as Pandemic Adds New Role: TeacherInvolved Dads Make a Difference for Disadvantaged TeensPoll Charts U.S. Parents' Biggest Worries During PandemicDo Genes Doom Some Kids to Obesity? Probably Not, Study FindsSchools, Day Care Not a Big Factor in Kids Getting COVID: StudyType 2 Diabetes in Youth Is Especially Unhealthy: StudyWhen Sepsis Strikes Children, Black Kids More Likely to Die: StudyNew Clues to Crohn's Disease in KidsKids With Dyslexia May Have Hidden StrengthsKids' Weight Rises When Convenience Stores Open Nearby: StudyA Better, Safer Way to Rid Some Kids of Seizures? Questions and AnswersLinks |
| |
Sigmund Freud and Child Development Angela Oswalt, MSWSigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a Viennese doctor who came to believe that the way parents dealt with children's basic sexual and aggressive desires would determine how their personalities developed and whether or not they would end up well-adjusted as adults. Freud described children as going through multiple stages of sexual development, which he labeled Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital.
In Freud's view, each stage focused on sexual activity and the pleasure received from a particular area of the body. In the oral phase, children are focused on the pleasures that they receive from sucking and biting with their mouth. In the Anal phase, this focus shifts to the anus as they begin toilet training and attempt to control their bowels. In the Phallic stage, the focus moves to genital stimulation and the sexual identification that comes with having or not having a penis. During this phase, Freud thought that children turn their interest and love toward their parent of the opposite sex and begin to strongly resent the parent of the same sex. He called this idea the Oedipus Complex as it closely mirrored the events of an ancient Greek tragic play in which a king named Oedipus manages to marry his mother and kill his father. The Phallic/Oedipus stage was thought to be followed by a period of Latency during which sexual urges and interest were temporarily nonexistent. Finally, children were thought to enter and remain in a final Genital stage in which adult sexual interests and activities come to dominate.
Another part of Freud's theory focused on identifying the parts of consciousness. Freud thought that all babies are initially dominated by unconscious, instinctual and selfish urges for immediate gratification which he labeled the Id. As babies attempt and fail to get all their whims met, they develop a more realistic appreciation of what is realistic and possible, which Freud called the "Ego". Over time, babies also learn about and come to internalize and represent their parents' values and rules. These internalized rules, which he called the "Super-Ego", are the basis for the the developing child's conscience that struggles with the concepts of right and wrong and works with the Ego to control the immediate gratification urges of the Id.
By today's rigorous scientific standards, Freud's psychosexual theory is not considered to be very accurate. However, it is still important and influential today because it was the first stage development theory that gained real attention, and many other theorists used it as a starting place. |