Freud's Oedipus complex occurs during which psychosexual stage?

Freud's Oedipus complex occurs during which psychosexual stage?

• A. Oral stage
• B. Anal stage
• C. Latency stage
• D. Phallic stage

Answer: (D)

Freud’s theory organizes development into stages where the focus of pleasure shifts to different parts of the body. The Oedipus complex shows up when the child’s sexual energy centers on the genitals and intense feelings toward the opposite-sex parent arise, paired with rivalry toward the same-sex parent. This particular pattern happens during the phallic stage, roughly ages three to six. In boys, the mood includes desires for the mother and competitive tension with the father, along with anxiety about losing the father’s affection. The way this tension is resolved is by identifying with the father, which helps internalize moral standards and build the superego. Earlier stages involve different issues: the oral stage centers on feeding and dependence, the anal stage on control and discipline, and the latency period is a time of relative dormancy before puberty. So the specific conflicts and resolutions that define the Oedipus complex are tied to the phallic stage.

Freud’s theory organizes development into stages where the focus of pleasure shifts to different parts of the body. The Oedipus complex shows up when the child’s sexual energy centers on the genitals and intense feelings toward the opposite-sex parent arise, paired with rivalry toward the same-sex parent. This particular pattern happens during the phallic stage, roughly ages three to six. In boys, the mood includes desires for the mother and competitive tension with the father, along with anxiety about losing the father’s affection. The way this tension is resolved is by identifying with the father, which helps internalize moral standards and build the superego.

Earlier stages involve different issues: the oral stage centers on feeding and dependence, the anal stage on control and discipline, and the latency period is a time of relative dormancy before puberty. So the specific conflicts and resolutions that define the Oedipus complex are tied to the phallic stage.