Many people have heard about the mysterious theories of Sigmund Freud based on sexual experiences, but what is even one of them? Why did the scientist build them this way and not otherwise? What does the term "latent stage" mean and what are its meanings?
To understand this, one must definitely read the full material of psychoanalysis and consider in detail each of the phases of development.
In addition to Freud's latent stage, there is another similar term that applies to one of the stages of the HIV disease, the topic of which will also be covered at the end of this article, as it is very important for the future of each of us.
Freud's Theory
Undoubtedly, parents most importantly influence the future life and development of their child. And many of them try to see the world around them through the eyes of their children. Which is quite reasonable, as it helps in establishing a clear contact with your own child, and eliminates many problems in the future. Therefore, it is necessaryindependently understand the mechanisms of mental development of the individual. And especially attention should be paid to such a seemingly simple stage of psychosexual development as the latent period. After all, it is during it that the ego and super-ego develop.
Stages of psychosexual development
The once great scientist Sigmund Freud put forward a very original theory of the development of the psyche in children, which is still relevant today, so parents just need to familiarize themselves with it.
According to the theory of the scientist, the basis of mental development is sexuality. But in order to turn into the one that arises in our understanding, it goes through more than one stage.
Before the onset of the genital phase of development, the objects of the child's experience are not at all "mysterious places" of the human body, but completely different parts of it.
The stages of psychosexual development according to Freud look like this:
- Oral stage - (0-1.5 years).
- Anal stage - (1.5-3 years).
- Phallic stage - (3-7 years).
- Latent stage - (7-13 years).
- Genital stage - (13-18 years).
Each of them directly influences the formation of a particular character of a person. How it will manifest itself in adulthood depends on the successful or unsuccessful course of each. Therefore, in any phase of the formation of a personality, and especially the latent stage of a person's sexual development, the main role is played by how parents behave towards the child. When a failure occurs in the passage of a certain stage, development can “stagnate”,scientifically speaking, fixate on this particular phase of injury.
Looping on one of the stages of development is fraught with the fact that, as an adult, a person remembers the mental trauma received in one period or another on an unconscious level, and it does not matter whether it was in the anal or latent stage. Freud found his own explanations for each period.
At the moment of loss of self-control, in a stressful situation, a person seems to become that defenseless little child he was at the moment of receiving an emotional shock. And, undoubtedly, fixation on any of these stages of development will manifest itself in adulthood, because traumas received in childhood are, in fact, unresolved problems in the relationship - parent - child.
Oral stage
This phase of mental development got its name because the baby's priority sense organ is the mouth. With its help, he not only gets food, but also explores the world around him, while receiving many new sensations. And this is the first stage in the development of sexuality. The child considers himself and his mother to be a single whole, and the strong bond that began during pregnancy continues during this period. The mother's breast for him is an extension of himself.
The period can be described as a state of auteroticism, as the sexual energy is directed inward. Eating from mother's warm "sissy", the child is not only satiated, while enjoying it, but also feels peace and protection.
Therefore, breastfeeding throughout the developmental phaseit is so important to keep it, especially since during this period there is nothing more important for the little one than close communication with the mother, who should cherish every second spent with the baby, because in the fourth (latent) stage she will miss it very much.
But unfortunately, for various reasons, many babies do not receive breast milk, and mothers are forced to feed them with artificial nutrition. In such a case, it is very important to take the baby in your arms at the time of eating so that he feels his mother's warmth, since tactile contact becomes especially important.
How to avoid injury at this stage?
Kids of this age show anxiety if their mother disappears from sight, do not want to sleep alone, cry loudly and demand to be picked up. You should not refuse them this, because in this case these are not manifestations of capriciousness, but a desire to gain confidence both in the inner and in the outer world. Severity at this stage of development can only harm the baby, and, according to Freud, there are two extreme types of mother's behavior:
- Excessive severity and, as a result, ignoring the emotional needs of the child.
- Excessive patronage, which manifests itself in premature servility to any desire of the little one.
Both models of maternal behavior lead to the development of an oral-passive personality type, in which a sense of self-doubt and infantilism prevails. As an adult, this person will always expect from others the same attitude as frommother, and will require constant assistance and praise in his address. Usually he is overly trusting and infantile, which can have a bad effect already in the IV latent stage.
Therefore, if you want to raise a determined and self-confident person, then:
- firstly - do not spare your affection for the baby when he calls you to cry;
- Second - don't be afraid to breastfeed him longer than is customary for the masses;
- Third - don't be afraid to put your baby in your bed.
All of the above only strengthens the tiny man's trust in the outside world and mom and dad, so you should not listen to "experienced" grandmothers.
Oral stage part II
With the onset of the second half of the first year of life, the oral-sadistic phase of mental development begins, which is directly related to teething. From this point on, along with breast sucking, there is often a bite with which an offended baby can respond to a long absence of a mother or to a too slow satisfaction of his needs.
A person obsessed with this stage often grows up as a sarcastic cynic and debater, for whom the only goal is to power over people and use them for their own selfish purposes. Such a child can express himself negatively in relation to other children, being already in the latent stage of human development, after which the conflicts of this age can affect the rest of his life.
Sudden and untimely weaning of the baby and the use of nipples and pacifiers is fraught with a cycle in the oral phase of development. As a result, such bad habits will appear in the future, such as biting lips, nails and various objects that fall into the hands (pen, pencil, match, etc.); love for chewing gum; smoking; talkativeness, as well as the habit of “seizing” stress, which, of course, contributes to weight gain.
These people are often prone to depression, they constantly lack some special meaning in life.
Anal stage
Comes at the age of about one and a half years and lasts up to three. It is called so because both parents and the child during this period pay special attention to his butt, since at this age it is time to teach a person to the potty.
Based on Freud's theory, the baby gets true relief and pleasure during the "exit of the body's waste products", and especially from the fact that he begins to control this process himself. It is now that the child begins to comprehend his own actions, and potty training is the most important element in learning new skills and abilities.
It is important for parents to understand that the baby's interest in his own feces is quite normal, because he still does not know the feeling of disgust and disgust. But he understands perfectly well that his feces belong only to him, and he himself decides what to do with them. Hearing praise from his parents for going to the potty, the baby sincerely considers his feces a gift to mom and dad, for this reason he still considers it necessary to do the same, presenting them with new “surprises”. Therefore, smeared with the products of their vital activityfor the baby becomes a pleasant procedure.
Freud emphasizes the way in which parents usually carry out the procedure. If the planting of the child on the potty begins out of time (the optimal age for this is 2-3 years, since the controlling muscles of the anal sphincter are finally formed,) or the parents are too strict in following the rules that are new to him - they scream, shame and punish for not wanting to go to the toilet, - then the baby develops one of these types of behavior:
- Anal-pushing - the attitude is formed that the love of parents can only be received by successfully going to the potty.
- Anal-retaining - the reaction of mom and dad can work in the opposite direction, and the baby simply refuses to defecate in protest. As a result, constipation occurs.
People of the first type are characterized by such traits as destructiveness, impulsiveness, restless behavior. For them, spending money is the main manifestation of love.
People of the second type are characterized by such traits as frugality, punctuality, perseverance, stubbornness, greed and avarice. These are real pedants, pathologically afraid of the slightest pollution. And at the age of the latent stage (7-13 years old), these traits can be assessed very positively by school teachers.
But a completely different personality can be brought up if you approach this issue correctly. The main thing is not to forget to praise the baby for successes and not to scold too harshly for failures. Then the little man will feel support and understanding from loved ones and gradually learn self-control, therebyboosting your self-esteem. As an adult, he will be generous and generous, and giving gifts to his family will be a real pleasure for him.
There is an opinion that the correct behavior of parents is the key to the development of a child's creative abilities. But despite the successful course of this stage, there remains a feeling of some dissonance, since for the child the feces are a gift to the mother, but she, in turn, seeks to throw them away as soon as possible. This conflict of understanding makes the anal phase of development very dramatic.
Phallic stage
Comes when the child reaches the age of three, because he begins to be interested in his own genitals. At this moment, he learns for the first time that the boy and the girl are somewhat different from each other. And it was then that for the first time the question is asked: “Mom, how did I appear?”, to which parents often give an answer that is incompatible with reality.
Parents should not react inadequately to both such questions and to the game of the little one with their own “principles”, believing that their child is a future pervert. This is a completely natural stage of development, which should be treated patiently and with understanding. Intimidation, strict prohibitions and swear words will not lead to anything good, but, on the contrary, will cause the child to do this secretly, simply becoming a neurotic. In the future, this is fraught with a complete rejection of sexual life in favor of masturbation.
Many psychologists singled out precisely the three-year age, which is called critical, and Freud is one of them, because, in his opinion, during this period everyonethe child experiences the Oedipus complex (the girl is the Electra complex), after which the stage of psychosexual development begins - the latent period.
For a boy, this is characterized by an unconscious sexual attraction to the mother, the desire to completely own her attention and take the place of the father. At this age, his mother becomes the ideal woman for him, and the presence of his father causes a thirst for rivalry and envy.
You can often hear such a phrase from a child: “Mom, it’s better to marry me!”, And she says it all. But the feeling of his father's superiority makes him afraid of being punished by castration, so he gives up the desire to take possession of his mother. At the age of seven, a child has a moment when he wants to do everything like his father and be like him, so the spirit of competition is replaced by imitation. “Since mom loves dad, then I must become as strong and courageous!” - the baby thinks, adopting all the traits of behavior from the father, which creates the basis for the development of the super-ego. And this is the last stage of the Oedipus complex.
For a girl, this complex takes place with some differences. Her first love is her father, as for a boy - a mother.
Freud's theory mentions that, while still in childhood, women begin to envy the presence of a penis in men, which is strength and power. Based on this, the girl blames her mother for giving birth to her inferior, and unconsciously seeks to take possession of her father, because in her understanding, her mother loves him precisely for this “element of power.”
Outcome of the complexThe electra is completed by analogy with the Oedipus complex. The daughter copes with the attraction to her father, starting to imitate her mother in everything. The more she matches her, the more likely she is to someday find a man who resembles her father.
According to Freud's theory, trauma during this period is often the key to the development of impotence, frigidity and nervousness in adulthood. People fixated on the phallic stage of mental development pay special attention to their body, demonstrating it to others in every possible way. They dress quite catchy and extravagant. Male individuals are often arrogant and self-confident personalities. Victory on the love front for them is the basis of everything! They constantly prove their masculine worth to everyone around them, but deep inside each of them sits a little boy, shaking with fear of losing his “dignity”. And the latent stage following the phallic phase corresponds to the period of the formation of the individual in society.
For women obsessed with the Electra complex, sexual promiscuity and a constant desire to attract as many men as possible to their person are characteristic.
Latent stage
At the age of seven to thirteen, interest in an erotic topic is temporarily dulled, and the energy of the libido goes to active socialization. The difficult stage of the Oedipal conflict is successfully resolved, and the long-awaited balance is finally established.
The latent stage in the development of a child is a manifestation of paramount attention to the social side of life. During this period, he establishesfriendly relations with other children, actively mastering the school curriculum, enjoys sports and other leisure activities. The personality structure is formed according to the type of "ego" and "super-ego".
After coming into this world, the entire existence of the child depends on one primary component of the personality, to which Freud assigned the name "It" (Id). This component is our unconscious instincts and needs, which are directly dependent on receiving pleasure. When the desire to acquire what you want does not correspond to reality, a conflict arises and the “It” element develops into the “I” (Ego).
Ego is our consciousness, self-image, which directly depends on reality. And when the surrounding society requires the child to comply with generally accepted norms of behavior, the third element of personality arises - the "Super-I" (Super-ego).
Super-ego is our conscience, that is, the inner judge that strictly evaluates all our actions. By the time of the onset of the latent stage, all three elements of the personality have been successfully formed, and during the passage of this phase of mental development, preparations continue for the last, genital stage. But if, during the development of the super-ego, parents impose strict prohibitions and in every possible way restrict the freedom of the child, then he begins to experience all this too emotionally, incorrectly interpreting such behavior of the elders. But in the development of his ego, such qualities as independence from other people's opinions, perseverance and purposefulness are manifested.
Contrary to the opinion of the majority that in the latent stage of human sexual development comes "complete calm" andinaction, far from it. Such important qualities as adaptation to reality and self-respect develop.
Spending time with children of the same age brings a teenager more joy than communicating with relatives. He learns to behave in the company of peers, and in disputes he increasingly finds a way to compromise. At school, a child learns obedience and diligence, often even competing in this with others.
When the latent stage replaces the phallic phase, the super-ego is no longer as harsh to the outside world as it was originally, but more tolerant.
Genital stage
At the time of puberty in the body of a teenager there are physical changes occurring on a hormonal background. It is at this point that the latent stage and the genital stage flow into one another. This continues on average until the age of 18. It becomes the basis of the sexuality of an already adult person and accompanies him all his life. However, a prolonged latent phase can leave friends as a priority for a long time, and not a soul mate, and then a person starts a family late.
All sexual desires and erogenous zones, manifested in the pre-genital phases, merge into one common sexual desire. Now a matured child is fully prepared for intimacy, which is not so easy to achieve. That is why, during the passage of this phase of development, all the “cycles” of the child at the previous stages can manifest themselves. The teenager seems to “roll back” back to an earlier age. And the latent stage of the conflict can manifest itselfsuper-ego with reality.
According to Freud, all people in adolescence go through a homosexual phase, which is not always noticeable even to the teenager himself, and often manifests itself only in the fact that he wants to spend more time in communication with his gender comrades.
To brilliantly go through the genital stage of development, you need to show determination and independence in your own actions, be able to be responsible for them and stop being an infantile boy who, in case of danger, breaks under his mother's skirt. Only in this case will the personality be successfully formed into the ideal - the genital type of personality.
And finally about Freud's theory
Any teaching about psychoanalysis almost always considers the successful passage of all stages only a rare exception to the rule. In each of them there are fears and conflicts, and despite the desire of parents not to injure the child's psyche, almost no one succeeds in nullifying the possibility of injury. Therefore, it is safe to say that each person is fixated on one of the above stages of mental development.
But it is safe to say that knowledge of all these features of personality formation significantly reduces the risk of many mental traumas on the way of developmental stages and contributes to the proper upbringing of the child by the parents. Now the question of what Freud's latent stage is can be considered closed.
Punishment for promiscuity and unprotected sex
Next, we will talk about such a terribledisease, like HIV infection, because the grown-up child needs to be warned about the possible danger that awaits those who neglect "safe" sex. And before explaining to the child why contraception is needed, you need to briefly familiarize yourself with the topic.
Stages of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) disease
- Incubation stage. It begins at the time of infection, and lasts until the clinical manifestations of symptoms of an acute infection, and is accompanied by the production of antibodies, therefore, diagnosis is carried out by donating blood. The period lasts on average from 3 to 12 weeks, in individual cases it can take up to 12 months.
- The stage of initial manifestations. It has several pronounced forms of the course of the disease.
- The latent stage of the disease - continues for each person individually, since the course depends on many factors. In some cases, variations from 2 to 20 years are possible. But basically the duration of the latent stage is 5-6 years, and this period coincides with the decrease in CD+ T-lymphocytes.
- Stage of comorbidities. Due to the increasingly developing immunodeficiency, all kinds of (opportunistic) “sores” join HIV, which only aggravate the course of the underlying disease. This stage has three phases: 4 A, 4 B, 4 C. And the course of the disease becomes worse than in the description of the latent stage.
- AIDS (terminal stage). Minor diseases present in the human body are moving into an incurable phase, and no antiviral treatments have the proper effect. Anda person, having suffered for more than one month in this stage, eventually dies from a common cold or a cut while shaving.
But lately, patients with HIV infection in the latent stage have some chances for recovery, as a new drug developed by scientists has been approved in America, and a special three-stage treatment is already being used in Europe.
