Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Essay

Freud’s latency period theory is accurate, because these years are mainly focused on social interaction with others (Friedman & Schustack, p. 72, 2012). This stage is not considered to be a stage of the psychosexual development; rather the energy is put into other activities such as sports, school, and social interaction with their peers (Stevenson, 1996). During the latency period the libido is suppressed and this is the most important time for the development of social skills (â€Å"Freud’s Psychoanalysis: A Revolutionary Approach†, 2012). Freud theorized at this time a child goes through â€Å"infantile amnesia† it is when the child forgets the unwanted memories that may be deemed as traumatic for him/her (â€Å"Definition: Latency Period†, n.d.). If there is anything that went amiss this is when it will start to show-up in the personality (â€Å"Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development†, n.d.). Genital stage of psychosexual devel opment is the last phase in Freudian theory. This stage starts at the onset of puberty and goes into adulthood (â€Å"Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Development†, n.d.). Previous stages were mainly on individual accomplishments and learning one’s place in the family as well as in society. Individuals normally start to develop sexual desires for the opposite sex at the beginning of this stage and last until death (Cherry, n.d.). It is of the most importance that there are no problems with the other stages, if some issues were not resolved in the other stages; more than likely it will carry over into the final stage and can lead to severe psychological problems for the adult (The Science Museum, 2004). Some things about Freudian theory are understandable, but there are certain aspects of it that a person would disagree on. For instance the Phallic stage is when â€Å"the child is focused on the genitals† (Friedman & Schustack, p. 69, 2012). Children at that age are too young to understand things in a sexual way. If a child does understand things like that at that age; a person would rightfully be thinking that something traumatic has happ ened to the child to lead the child into that kind of behavior such as masturbation. Starting at around age two a child enters the Anal stage (Friedman & Schustack, p. 68, 2012). Children as well as adults need relief, when you need to go you need to go; they as in children do not understand let alone are capable of using the bathroom unless they are properly trained to do so. If a child does try to hold –it in; that would be an indicator that the parents are not doing something right in the first place. Scolding a child for not going at a certain time, may be an indicator, if the child is trying to holding it in. There are five different stages of Freudian theory and each with its own sets of personal characteristics, depending on if a person becomes fixated at a certain stage. Oral stage is the first stage, it is said that if a person becomes fixated at this stage they may develop behaviors such as, dependency, attachment, and always having something in their mouth, such as chewing gum, and tobacco products (Friedman & Schustack, p. 68, 2012). Anal stage of development is said to include behaviors such as concern with neatness, order, and organization. They might also like bathroom humor jokes and the like (Friedman & Schustack, p.69, 2012). Phallic stage is mainly concerned with developing sexual relationships and can have a profound effect on these kinds of relationships. If the problems are not resolved before a person establishes this kind of relationship with someone else (Friedman & Schustack, p. 70, 2012). Latency period can have an impact negative effects on behavior as well just like any other stage of development. Even though this period is not included in the psychosexual stages of development (Friedman & Schustack, p. 72, 2012). Genital stage of development is the last stage in the Freudian theory; problems can arise because of unresolved issues in the other stages or can also develop in this stage under the right circumstances. Defense mechanisms are an attribute that a lot of people have to help deal with things that may be too hard to bear otherwise (Friedman & Schustack, p. 75, 2012). Repression is one of the coping mechanisms that are used by someone who has been traumatized, such as sexual abuse or witnessing a horrible event such as a violent death of someone close to them. Denial is another form of coping, though it is unhealthy.