by Catherine Leahy

Created on: May 29, 2008

There are a number of distinct theoretical strands in the study of personality development. Most theorists break development down into specific stages which are typically progressive, this means that you must pass through one stage before you can get to the next. There are some exceptions, for example in Erikson's psychosocial personality development theory and Freud's theory of psycho-sexual personality development, a person can fail to complete one stage but still be able to continue through other stages. The failure to complete one of the stages, however, will result in difficulties later in life according to the theories, and may be seen as leading to the diversity and uniqueness of each individual personality. Personality development theories are dominated by Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, who provided the foundation for the study of personality development.

Below I outline some of the main theories of personality development and would advise that you check out other sources for a more comprehensive explanation of the theorists and their theories. There are a wealth of websites devoted to these theories and many who argue or critique them. I have tried to point you to one of the easiest to follow and best to use.

Freud and Sexual Development in Personality Development
Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, is the most well-known and popular of the theorists. He believed that personality is developed in a predetermined sequence, successful completion resulting in a healthy personality and failure in an unhealthy personality. His theory is controversial because of its focus on sexual development, each of the stages is based on a particular erogenous zone, unsuccessful completion of a stage in childhood leads to the adult becoming fixated on that particular erogenous zone and over-indulging or under-indulgence in adulthood. The oral stage is the first at birth to about eighteen months where the infant is focused on oral pleasures and too much or too little gratification leads to a preoccupation for the adult with oral activities like smoking, drinking or over-eating. This leads to a personality that is too dependent on others or someone who fights these urges and becomes aggressive and pessimistic. The anal stage follows where the focus is on eliminating and retaining faeces as a result of societal pressures to control anal stimulation. This can result in anally fixated personalities who are obsessed with cleanliness, perfectionist and controlling or anal

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