Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

The Psychoanalytic Perspective on Personality427There is, however, one strict limitation in identifying with the father. Only the fathercan enjoy the sexual affections of the mother. This limitation becomes internalized asa taboo against incestuous urges in the boy’s developing superego, a taboo that isenforced by the superego’s use of guilt and societal restrictions (Freud, 1905, 1923).Girls also ultimately resolve the Oedipus complex by identifying with the samesexparent and developing a strong superego taboo against incestuous urges. Butthe underlying sexual drama in girls follows different themes. The little girl discoversthat little boys have a penis and that she does not. She feels a sense of deprivationand loss that Freud termed penis envy.According to Freud (1940), the little girl blames her mother for “sending herinto the world so insufficiently equipped.” Thus, she develops contempt for andresentment toward her mother. However, in her attempt to take her mother’s placewith her father, she also identifies with her mother. Like the little boy, the little girlinternalizes the attributes of the same-sex parent.Freud’s views on female sexuality, particularly the concept of penis envy, areamong his most severely criticized ideas. Perhaps recognizing that his explanationof female psychosexual development rested on shaky ground, Freud (1926) admitted,“We know less about the sexual life of little girls than of boys. But we need notfeel ashamed of this distinction. After all, the sexual life of adult women is a ‘darkcontinent’ for psychology.”The Latency and Genital StagesFreud felt that because of the intense anxiety associated with the Oedipus complex,the sexual urges of boys and girls become repressed during the latency stage in latechildhood. Outwardly, children in the latency stage express a strong desire to associatewith same-sex peers, a preference that strengthens the child’s sexual identity.The final resolution of the Oedipus complex occurs in adolescence, during thegenital stage. As incestuous urges start to resurface, they are prohibited by the moralideals of the superego as well as by societal restrictions. Thus, the person directs sexualurges toward socially acceptable substitutes, who often resemble the person’sopposite-sex parent (Freud, 1905).In Freud’s theory, a healthy personality and sense of sexuality result when conflictsare successfully resolved at each stage of psychosexual development (summarizedin Table 10.2). Successfully negotiating the conflicts at each psychosexualstage results in the person’s capacity to love and in productive living through one’swork, child rearing, and other accomplishments.Competing with Dad for Mom? Accordingto Freud, the child identifies with the same-sexparent as a way of resolving sexual attractiontoward the opposite-sex parent—the Oedipuscomplex. Freud believed that imitating thesame-sex parent also plays an important rolein the development of gender identity and,ultimately, of healthy sexual maturity.It often happens that a young manfalls in love seriously for the first timewith a mature woman, or a girl withan elderly man in a position ofauthority; this is a clear echo of the[earlier] phase of development that wehave been discussing, since thesefigures are able to re-animate picturesof their mother or father.SIGMUND FREUD (1905)Table 10.2Freud’s Psychosexual StagesAge Stage DescriptionBirth to age 1 Oral The mouth is the primary focus of pleasurable and gratifyingsensations, which the infant achieves via feeding and exploringobjects with his mouth.Ages 1 to 3 Anal The anus is the primary focus of pleasurable sensations, whichthe young child derives through developing control overelimination via toilet training.Ages 3 to 6 Phallic The genitals are the primary focus of pleasurable sensations,which the child derives through sexual curiosity, masturbation,and sexual attraction to the opposite-sex parent.Ages 7 to 11 Latency Sexual impulses become repressed and dormant as the childdevelops same-sex friendships with peers and focuses on school,sports, and other activities.Adolescence Genital As the adolescent reaches physical sexual maturity, the genitalsbecome the primary focus of pleasurable sensations, which theperson seeks to satisfy in heterosexual relationships.