Sigmund Freud

Essay by hughtorpey November 2004

download word file, 2 pages 3.0

Downloaded 65 times

Main Theories

Infantile Sexuality

Interruptions in the Period of Sexual Latency

Believes that in the third to fourth year can the child's sexual life begin to be observed.

An interesting note is that the child goes from a highly sensual being, through social contacts and some hereditary instincts, into a sexually repressed individual. This act of repression, Freud believed, is the cause of all infantile amnesia.

Sublimation is the process of reaction- formation in which the child diverts this sexual energy into the others areas, leading to the development of the pubescent individual.

Manifestations of Infantile Sexuality

The manifestations of infantile sexuality include thumb sucking and auto-erotism.

Freud believed that the rhythmic sucking of the thumb is a sensual exercise that through a complete absorption of the child's attention can lead either to sleep or even to a motor function in the nature of an orgasm. He said that thumb-sucking is a path on which leads a child to masturbation as during thumb sucking it is not unusual for a child to also rub its external genitalia.

Auto-erotism is sensual or sexual pleasure derived from your own self. Includes thumb-sucking, masturbation etc. it is the 'moving on' of the infant from the mothers breast to explore ways of satisfying itself.

An infant will attach itself to one of the vital somatic functions, then as it has no sexual object it is auto-erotic, and its sexual aim is dominated by an erotogenic zone.

The Sexual Aim of Infantile Sexuality

Infants can change any part of their bodies into erotogenic zones

Essentially the same as everything else, just that the need for pleasurable sensation has to at first be provoked so the infant can seek repetition. Nature will take care of this first sensation (Breast-feeding).

The Oedipus Complex

Group of largely unconscious...