Understanding Psychosexual Development Stages
Psychosexual Development
The individual goes through different stages of evolution in which changes occur in themselves and their relationships with others. These are called stages of evolution of the libido; libido is the energy that corresponds to sexuality.
In these phases, the individual seeks various forms of sexual satisfaction and fantasies.
Latency Stage
It is a stage that is used in acquiring the necessary skills for life. They forget childhood sexual experiences, and this allows for schooling.
At this age, disturbance may occur to expand school or social difficulties because the child has no confidence in himself. The cause may be a real intellectual disability.
Adolescence or Genital Stage
During this stage a transformation occurs, so we consider it as a time of change. There is sexual arousal, but not the first. It’s called “secondary” because during infancy, the child has undergone a first sexual awakening.
Sexual Identity
After three years, children acquire the basic identity of gender. However, sexual and gender identity will acquire its mature conformation through adolescence.
Stages of Adolescent Sexuality
Always considering the individual marking, these stages describe the characteristics more widespread.
Early Adolescence (12-13 years)
Characterized by the onset of sexual maturation, extreme curiosity about her body and peers, many sexual fantasies, operation of auto-eroticism and sharp interfaces with the physical sexuality which does not prevail (coquetry platonic love, etc.).
Middle Adolescence (14-17 years)
Characterized by full sexual maturation, narcissism, high expression of sexual energy with emphasis on physical contact and sexual conduct exploratory (may occur homosexual experience, heterosexual unplanned), denial of consequences of sexual behavior (from a sense of invulnerability, lack of information and sex education), intense and fleeting relationships.
Late Adolescence (Over 18)
Characterized by a complete physical maturation and socio-legal, definitive achievements in psychological maturation, sexual behavior can be more expressive and more stable intimate relationships, to define their sexual roles.
Sexual Development
The physical changes at puberty are responsible for the emergence of strong sexual instincts, as noted above. At this stage, the adolescent is at risk of falling prey to these and complicate life for trying to meet them without any control, ignoring those who say that morality is a set of taboos useless.
Adolescent Development
In general, the transition from childhood to adulthood does not occur as a continuous and uniform. Biological growth, cognitive, emotional, social and psychosexual can be very asynchronous. In achieving each of these issues often have oscillations until the change is consolidated. Knowledge of the range of these variations allows the practitioner to distinguish between what can be considered within normal and what indicates a problem in development.