ORAL STAGE- Child's first source of pleasure is oral, derived from the mouth. During the early stages of a child, the fundamental requirements are food, security and warmth so that they can develop without obstruction.
This is the so called prenatal condition hence creating a very strong bond with the mother. Bonding occurs at this stage, oral stage, as its the capability to create emotional connection as an adult will be severely impaired. It occurs from birth to 18 months.
ANAL STAGE- It is whereby tension builds up as the bowel and bladder come to full function and thus demanding lots of attention. When urination and defecation occurs, the experiences from the tension relief is pleasurable. Tensions experienced from frustration is also experienced as pain and discomfort. This stages involves child's first experience with the external regulation of an instinctual impulse involving the postponement of the pleasure from relieving tension.
This realization is closely followed by an immature, forerunner of the Genital Stage, when the child begins to know that it's pleasurable to manipulate particular organs of the body i.e mouth, anus and genitals.(18 months-3years)
PHALLIC STAGE- The instinctual urge is objective and aggressive whereas masturbation in the immature Genitals period is essentially subjective experience. With a male infant, mother becomes subjected to love, with jealousy for the father, this is the Oedipus Complex in which the body develops the fear of castration by the father.
After the boy realizes that the father is stronger/powerful as an adversary, reality sets in and he grows to understand the impossibility of his sexual obsession/attachment to the mother. He represses his desire for the mother and hostility develops towards the father.
Females infant situation is more complex. She develops love for the father and jealousy for the mother.Anatomical genital difference from her brother raises the fear that she has been castrated and blames her mother. This is called Electra Complex. Her love for the father is also tingled with envy because he has what she does not. Her Electra Complex is not repressed but modified by reality and weakens with time, so that she remains identified with her mother.
It is at this stage that the sexuality of early childhood reaches its greatest intensity as males and females sexuality becomes differentiated. Both sexes loyalty to their parents posses problems, however with careful handling by the parents these stages are worked through leaving no ill effect.(3-6years)
LATENCY STAGE- Quiescence stages,from age of 6-to puberty. Adolescence, with its sexual emphasis,gradually channels sexual impulse into object choices and finally into adult life.
At this stage, child's sexual impulses are repressed because of phallic stage( Electra and Oedipus complex). They realize that they cannot fulfill their needs hence identification with parent's of same sex leading to rapid sex roles enrollment.
Sexual drives are are decreases and libido transferred from parents to friends, clubs and role models. The child learns to adapt to reality and begins begins with the process of repressing earlier traumatic sexual and painful memories called Infantile Amnesia.
GENITAL STAGE- This is whereby we have children's energy focusing on his genitals. Puberty reactivates the early sexual impulses as he/she poses into maturity. The little energy the child's has left is invested in unresolved psychosexual development of earlier stages.
The greater his/her capacity to develop into normal relationship with a sexual partner. If however he remains fixated, particularly during Anal or Phallic stage, his development will troubled as he struggles with further repression and defenses. This where we find others who become homosexuals and lesbians because they could not manage to come through the stage successfully. If he was balanced, he will develop into warm, well balanced and caring adulthood. Person matures from narcissistic pleasures seeking child into socialized adult with much libido sublimated into group and vocational planning and preparation for marriage and parenthood.