Sally is a four-year-old who prefers sleeping with her parents to sleeping in her own bed. However, she gets upset when she sees her father kissing her mother. In which of Freud's psychosexual stages of development is Sally likely to be?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sally is likely in the Phallic stage of Freud's psychosexual stages of development, which occurs around ages 3 to 6. During this stage, children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, and the bodies of their parents. They also begin to develop a sexual identity and experience the Oedipus or Electra complex, which involves a child's unconscious desire for the opposite-sex parent and jealousy toward the same-sex parent. Sally's upset reaction to seeing her father kiss her mother can be seen as indicative of the Oedipus/Electra complex dynamics typical of the Phallic stage.

Sally Is a Four-Year-Old Who Prefers Sleeping with Her Parents