Four-year-old John is very competitive with his father in trying to gain his mother's attention.Freud would have suggested that John is going through the ________ stage of development.

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Freud's psychosexual stages, the phallic stage occurs from ages 3-6 and is characterized by a focus on the genitals and a developing sense of gender identity. During this stage, children may develop Oedipus or Electra complexes, in which they compete with the same-sex parent for the attention and affection of the opposite-sex parent. Therefore, John's behavior of competing with his father to gain his mother's attention is consistent with the phallic stage of development.

Four-Year-Old John Is Very Competitive with His Father in Trying