psychosexual stages

The psychosexual stages, proposed by Sigmund Freud, describe the development of personality through a series of childhood phases where pleasure centers on different areas of the body. There are five stages: oral (0-1 year), where infants derive pleasure from oral activities; anal (1-3 years), focused on toilet training; phallic (3-6 years), where children become aware of their bodies; latency (6-puberty), a period of social and intellectual development; and genital (puberty onward), where mature sexual relationships develop. Freud believed that unresolved conflicts in any stage could impact adult personality and behavior.