The Phallic Stage
The phallic stage is Freud's third stage in his psychosexual development theory and would a great topic for a research paper. Freud's psychosexual theory includes five different stages of child development. These stages include the following stages:
- Oral stage
- Anal stage
- Phallic stage
- Latent stage
- Genital stage
According to this theory, children between the ages of three and six years old develop a libido that is focused around the genital area. The genital area becomes the primary erogenous zone. When the genitals are stimulated, they provide a pleasurable feeling.
The Phallic Stage and Body Awareness
This stage takes place around the time when children first become aware of their developing bodies. In this stage, children begin exploring their own bodies. This is the stage in which children first become aware of the differences between their bodies and their parent's bodies. Children in this stage of development are also becoming aware of the differences in gender between male and female.
According to Freud's theory when male child is in the phallic stage he might develop a desire for his mother. He may grow jealous of his father and the relationship between father and mother. The male child may have fantasies about his mother. According to Freud, the male child does not act on his desires because of his fear of his father and the understanding of the father's domination in the family unit. This theory is called the Oedipus complex which is named after the Greek mythological character by the same name.