Nancie Barlow

Signature Assignment
This semester we studied many theorists, but the one theorist I enjoyed learning
about the most about is Sigmund Freud. At first when we were learning about him I
thought his theories were very weird but yet interesting. I still think that Sigmund Freuds
theories are weird and strange but at the same time I really enjoyed learning about him. I
wanted to know more about Freud and his personal life. I found some really interesting
facts about his life and I think that these experiences are some of the things that helped
shape Freud and it also helps me understand why he thinks the way he thinks.
First when Freud was in his late twenties he meant a girl named Martha and he
wanted to marry her. Freud worked as a lab technologist and he did not make enough
money to support a family. His fianc told him that she wanted him to become a doctor so
they could have money to have a family. He agreed to it and it took him three years to
become a doctor and while he was studying to become a doctor his finance moved to
Germany. Freud was also known for having and affair with his sister-in-law a couple
years after being married (10 Things You Might Not Know About Sigmund Freud. (n.d.).
Retrieved).
Another interesting fact about Freud is that he developed the use of talk therapy,
which is currently being used today. Freud also had mouth cancer which took over thirty
surgeries to fix. Another cool fact about Freud is that he has a daughter who become a
very influential psychologist but many say that she was never as good as her father (10
Things You Might Not Know About Sigmund Freud. (n.d.). Retrieved).

Freuds developmental theories are mostly broken down in ages. Psychosexual

development is a stage theory on how people develop healthy personalities (Chapter 3:
Section 4: Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development. (n.d.). His first stage in his
psychosexual development is from birth to the age of one. Freud calls his first stage the
Oral Stage. Freud believes that a child get stimulation and sensation from their lips,
tongue, and gums. During this time of life children are either being bottle-fed or breastfed. The baby also has to rely on the parent or guardian to take care of them. Children
tend to be orally soothed during this time of their lives. Some of the ways that children
are orally soothed is by a bottle or a binky. Also during this time babies can be in the
phase of putting everything in their mouths and playing with toys and they can hold on to
and throw.
The second stage of Freuds developmental theory is called the Anal Stage. This is
from the ages of one to three. Freud believes that the anus is the focus of sensation in the
babys body. Most of the time children are being toilet trained during this time. If a child
is potty trained too early or even too late these children tend to hate messes and to be
obsessively clean (Psychosexual Stages | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Also during this
phase children can have problems with toilet training. They can see it has a fear and some
children refuse to toilet train until a later time in their lives.
The third stage of Freuds development is known as the Phallic Stage. This stage
occurs between the ages of three to six. This stage is where children think that their penis
is the most important part of the body. Boys are proud of their penis and tend to not be
afraid to use it. For example, little boys will pee outside and go back to being with their

friends instead of coming in the house and using the bathroom. Also, during this stage
Freud believes that girls wonder why they do not have one.
The fourth stage in Freuds psychosexual development is called Latency. This
stage happens between the ages of six to eleven. According to Freud this stage is where
both boys and girls tend to not focus on the opposite sex. Freud believes that children in
this age will put their emotions into sports, schoolwork and friendships. In this stage
playing is a huge role. One of the interesting things about this is that children will feel
confined to play with the same gender (Psychosexual Stages | Simply Psychology. (n.d.).
There are examples that children who stay in the phase longer than Freud
suggested will succeed better in school and will have more successful lives. I can see this
as being true because I know some people I went to school with who I feel are still stuck
in this phase and who are very smart. I wonder if it is because they were stuck in this
phase and focused on school and other life priorities other than the opposite sex and
friendships.
The fifth stage of development is called the Genital Stage and it occurs during the
Adolescence phase of a persons life. During this time the genitals are the focus and this
is where most pleasure and sensations come from. Also during this age adolescents will
seek sexual satisfaction with a person of the opposite sex (Psychosexual Stages | Simply
Psychology. (n.d.). In this stage we notice a change, instead of pleasures being about
themselves they want to share it with someone else. This is different than the phallic
stage because in the phallic stage it is all for self pleasure and curiosity. We as humans
will always stay in the genital stage according to Freud.

Finally, the sixth stage is adulthood. This stage Freud believes that the goal of a
healthy life is to love and to work. Also the genital stage will last throughout adulthood.
This stage is a lifelong stage. Once you get to this point of life you will continue to be in
this stage.
In my life I can think of a couple of examples that fit into Freuds developmental
stages. The first example that comes to mind is an example that I have noticed about
myself through taking this class and throughout my lifetime. When I was a baby and a
toddler I loved my binky I slept with my binky, I walked around with my binky, and
when I would cry the only thing that would soothe me was my mother holding me and of
course the binky. I loved my binky I remember I only had one specific binky that I would
use and it was my favorite. If I did not have a binky I was grumpy, mad, and not a very
happy child.
I showed my binky to everyone because I was so proud of it. My mother told me
that when I would play with other babies and they would try to take my binky and play. I
would scream and throw a fit. I would sometimes get to the point where I would not talk
to the other baby for the rest of the evening.
The binky would make me feel better and calmer and when my parents would
stop giving me the binky and wanted to wean me off when I was older I would remember
feeling actual withdrawals from it and I felt like my world had stopped. I remember
feeling confused and like my life was not in order anymore all because of a binky.
Eventually my parents just stopped giving me my binky and I had a hard time for a
couple of month until I got into a new routine and a new normal.

Now that I am older I can see the same tendencies that I had when I was a baby
implied in my life. I believe that as a toddler I was stuck in the first stage of Freuds
developmental stages and I still feel like I am stuck in it. For example, when I am taking
an exam and I am nervous I always chew on my pencil eraser or I always feel like I need
to put my hand on my mouth. I always feel like I need gum in my mouth and when
people talk to my and I feel shy I always have an urge to put my hand to my mouth and
sometimes touch my bottom lip to my fingers and pinch my lip. Another example is when
I am scared or anxious. I always want to eat or drink and when I do I have a short relief.
Also, before I go to bed I always feel like I need a snack to calm myself and I believe it
was from my binky obsession as a baby and eventually a toddler.
I still have these tendencies because I am orally soothed when I am chewing on
gum or when I have my hand by my mouth, and many other examples. But, I can still see
myself transiting between the adult stage and the oral stage of Freuds theories. Honestly,
I do not know if I will ever be able to fully leave this stage but I still feel like I am
progressing and not at a stopping point in-between the two stages.
I have come a long way from when I was a baby with this stage. I now can
function without a binky. I can sleep without a binky and I do not feel any withdrawals
from not having a binky. But I still have tendencies from my childhood of having a binky
obsession and being stuck in Freuds first stage of development. It is hard to figure out if
what I am feeling is from my childhood binky or by habit. But, I believe that it can be a
mixture of both, a habit and being stuck in the first stage of Freuds developmental
stages.

I feel like I mostly overcame this conflict through age and experience. I cant be a
nineteen year old with a binky so I feel like this conflict is not resolved but it has evolved
into a more mature issue but has not fully came to and end.
The positive outcomes that have come from this developmental stage roadblock is
that I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that I have these tendencies and they
can be changed with a lot of work and patients on my part. I can know see how Freuds
theories can be applied to my life and other peoples lives.

Reference Page:

Chapter 3: Section 4: Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development. (n.d.)

Psychosexual Stages | Simply Psychology. (n.d.).
10 Things You Might Not Know About Sigmund Freud. (n.d.). Retrieved