Psychosexual Stages of Development (Freud)

For Freud, childhood experiences shape our personalities and behavior as adults. Freud viewed
development as discontinuous; he believed that each of us must pass through a series of stages during
childhood, and that if we lack proper nurturing and parenting during a stage, we may become stuck in,
or fixated on, that stage. According to Freud, childrens pleasure-seeking urges (governed by the id)
are focused on a different area of the body, called an erogenous zone, at each of the five stages of
development: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.
Oral (0-1 years of age): During this stage, the mouth is the pleasure center for development. Freud
believed this is why infants are born with a sucking reflex and desire their mother's breast. If a child's
oral needs are not met during infancy, he or she may develop negative habits such as nail biting or
thumb sucking to meet this basic need.
Anal (1-3 years of age): During this stage, toddlers and preschool-aged children begin to experiment
with urine and feces. The control they learn to exert over their bodily functions is manifested in toilettraining. Improper resolution of this stage, such as parents toilet training their children too early, can
result in a child who is uptight and overly obsessed with order.
Phallic (3-6 years of age): During this stage, preschoolers take pleasure in their genitals and, according
to Freud, begin to struggle with sexual desires toward the opposite sex parent (boys to mothers and
girls to fathers). For boys, this is called the Oedipus complex, involving a boy's desire for his mother
and his urge to replace his father who is seen as a rival for the mothers attention. At the same time,
the boy is afraid his father will punish him for his feelings, so he experiences castration anxiety. The
Electra complex, later proposed by Freuds protg Carl Jung, involves a girl's desire for her father's
attention and wish to take her mothers place.
Latency (6-12 years of age): During this stage, sexual instincts subside, and children begin to further
develop the superego, or conscience. Children begin to behave in morally acceptable ways and adopt
the values of their parents and other important adults.
Genital (12+ years of age): During this stage, sexual impulses reemerge. If other stages have been
successfully met, adolescents engage in appropriate sexual behavior, which may lead to marriage and
childbirth.
Alfred Adler
Psychological types
While Adler did not spend a lot of time on neurosis, he did identify a small handful of personality
types that he distinguished based on the different levels of energy he felt they manifested. These
types to Adler were by no means absolutes, it should be noted; Adler, the devout individualist, saw
them only as heuristic devices (useful fictions).
The first type is the ruling type. These people are characterized early on by a tendency to be
generally aggressive and dominant over others, possessing an intense energy that overwhelms
anything or anybody who gets in their way. These people are not always bullies or sadists, however;
some turn the energy inward and harm themselves, such as is the case with alcoholics, drug addicts,
and those who commit suicide.
The second type is the leaning type. Individuals of this type are sensitive, and while they may put a
shell up around themselves to protect themselves, they end up relying on others to carry them through
lifes challenges. They lack energy, in essence, and depend on the energy of others. They are also
prone to phobias, anxieties, obsessions and compulsions, general anxiety, dissociation, etc.
The third type is the avoiding type. People of this type have such low energy they recoil within
themselves to conserve it, avoiding life as a whole, and other people in particular. In extreme cases,
these people develop psychosisthe end result of entirely retreating into ones self.
Adler also believed in a fourth type: the socially useful type. People of this type are basically healthy
individuals, possessed of adequate, but not overbearing, social interest and energy. They are able to

give to others effectively as they are not so consumed by a sense of inferiority that they cannot look
properly outside of themselves.

Theory
Adler examined personality around the same time as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. They worked on
some theories together until Adler rejected Freud's emphasis on sex, and maintained that personality
difficulties are rooted in a feeling of inferiority deriving from restrictions on the individual's need for
self-assertion.
His best-known work is The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology (1923). Adler had a tendency
to change his theory on personality throughout his life but he ultimately believed that people are
focused on maintaining control over their lives. He believed in single "drive" or motivating force behind
our behavior, claiming that the desire we have to fulfill our potentials becomes closer and closer to our
ideals.
Alder calls this theory Individual Psychology because he felt each person was unique and no previous
theory applied to all people. Adler's theory included these four aspects: the development of
personality, striving towards superiority, psychological health, and the unity of personality. Many
psychologists excepted Alfred's popular idea of self-actualization.
In studying personality, Alfred came up with the term inferiority complex. He described this as feelings
of lack of worth. He wrote, "We all wish to overcome difficulties. We all strive to reach a goal by the
attainment of which we shall feel strong, superior, and complete" (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956).
Alder was known to use the word superiority complex. This complex developed when a person tried to
conquer their inferiority complex by suppressing their existing feelings. He felt that people were
constantly trying overcome their feelings of inferiority to reach superiority.
Along with the idea of trying to overcome inferiority, Adler claimed that every person had an idea
about what their perfect self would be like (Cloninger, 1996). He named this image the fictional
finalism. Fictional finalism applies clearer direction to decisions that are to be made concerning oneself.
Although individuals may have an idea about their image, but they hardly ever understand it. Although
the image may be altered, the common direction throughout one's life stays the same. Adler wrote, ". .
.in every mental phenomenon we discover anew the characteristic of pursuit of a goal, and all our
powers, faculties, experiences, wishes and fears, defects and capacities fall into line with this
characteristic" (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956).
Unlike Freud, Adler believed the conscious and unconscious worked in union with one another towards
the fictional finalism (Cloninger, 1996). Adler declared that each individual has a incomparable way of
life, some are negative and some are positive. Adler did not like to take big groups of people an put
them into general categories but when describing basic lifestyles it was simpler to do so. He studied
various types of people and he came to this conclusion. There are the four main types of people, three
out of four are negative. The ruling type tries to control others. The getting type tends to be very
passive and goes along with others ideas, rarely inventive. The avoiding types try to isolate
themselves to avoid defeat, they are usually very cold. The socially useful type, values having control
over their lives and strive to do good things for the sake of society.
"It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them (Alfred Adler)." This statement sums up
Alder's theory of personalty in a nutshell.

Karen Horney
Theory

Horney's theory is related to her personal life and how she was able to deal with her problems. Her
idea of neurosis and psychoanalysis involving inner conflicts is regarded as one of the best theories in
this area. Neurosis is how people cope and have control over interpersonal issues that happen day to
day, according to Horney. Another theory she addresses is the idea of personality in conjunction with
psychoanalysis. Below, her theories are examed in more depth by actually seeing how she disagrees
with Freud and what her ideas are for neuroses and psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis: Her theoretical approach to this is describing it towards people's personalities. The
personality she gave is an example of children and how parents as well as other socializing factors
influence their personality. For instance, a normal child goes through life having certain characteristics
of themselves when relating experiences with school, hobbies, and home. However, when looking at a
child that is neurotic the environmental factors isolates their true self. Also, older people can be
described as neurotic, characterized by no self-worth, loss of decision making or interest, afraid or
obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and depressed. The goal of this analysis is to basically change the
person's opinions and perception of life by seeking a person's potential of self-realization. This
emphasizes that the neurotic should be aware of their environmental factors that surround them and
their inner-self, knowing who they are. This means "striving toward a clearer and deeper experiencing"
with the direction of their lives. This analysis "cannot solve the ills of the world" but it can explain the
neurotic's problems and try to help them. Psychoanalysis therapy is "helping people toward their best
possible further development". Freud suggests that this therapy involves the neurotic developing love
for the analyst in addition to seeking help. However, Horney feels this is "not prompted by love for the
analyst" but is the patients fear of people and their way of coping with life. The patient would feel
helpless otherwise. Freud suggests that in order for people to overcome their resistance they need to
deny them. Horney suggests differently. She thinks "the strength of the resisting forces and the
strength of the self to deal with them"

Inner Conflicts: Freud was aware of the inner conflicts, but saw them as repressed or repressing.
Freud's regards to man's inner self with a "disbelief in human goodness and growth". He mentioned
man was condemned to destroy and suffer. She saw these conflicts in a different way. The conflicts
were between contradictory neurotic trends and the attitudes toward self, qualities, and set of values.
Horney believed that each of us has the capability and potential to become a decent person. This

comes from the relationship with ourselves as well as with others which is disturbed with problems.
However, "man can change and go on changing as long as he lives. So, Horney disagrees with Freud
and establishes her own perception on these ideas when looking at psychoanalysis and neuroses that
involve inner conflicts.