Psychosexual Stages of Development

        According to Freud’s theory, all of us experience the psychosexual stages of development and some fixations. Every individual passes through a stage in which some behaviors can still be observed in their daily lives.

Looking back to what happened during my younger years, I actually don’t remember having to suck my thumb or to swallow anything I can hold when I’m hungry. I can only tell I did that because normally, babies really suck or bite anything they can hold so apparently, everyone passes through that stage. And in my own opinion, this can still be observed today though some things have changed: I don’t suck, chew, or bite anything I hold nowadays; Instead, I suck, chew, or bite anything edible or potable. I was also taught by my parents how to control pee and excretion and where to do it properly. I managed to do this when I was 2-3 years old, according to my dad, and until now, I still do it.

I grew up in a family in which majority of the members are guys. My parents were still young during that time so my mom went back to school first and my dad used to take care of me. Growing up with having my dad taking care of me, I adapted the guys’ behavior and I used to think that both genders are the same. I even saw myself as a boy rather than a girl. Months passed, I was able to distinguish the differences between a boy and a girl. I noticed this when I was 3 years old – the year I started attending classes. Since I attended a learning center, I had girls and boys surrounding me. This stage has helped me through my years of growing up and also leads me to another stage – the latency stage. I had distinguished the differences between sexes so I was able to gain friends. I have two cliques – one group that has girls only and another that has boys only. I also explored other things that can develop my skills and abilities like having hobbies, focusing on my studies, etc., in which these are still happening to my daily life.

Growing up also means having attraction to the opposite sex which lead to the genital stage. I started having my first crush when I was in grade school and this stage has developed throughout puberty and adolescence. I have gone through lots of attraction and a few relationships, and currently I am in a relationship so in my opinion based on experience, this stage will go through us until we grow older.

These stages of development have taught me that whatever we have experienced during our childhood still happens to us daily. We may or may not be aware of it, but this is happening to us by fixations. What we have learned cannot be unlearned.