Phallic stage of psychosexual development as per Sigmund Freud:

Appeared in: NVS- 2025

Explanation

The phallic stage, according to Freud, occurs between the ages of 3 and 6 years.
During this stage, the child's libido is centered on the genital organs.
Key developments include the child becoming aware of anatomical sex differences.
This stage is famously associated with the Oedipus complex (in boys) and the Electra complex (in girls), where the child develops unconscious desires for the opposite-sex parent.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: The adolescence period corresponds to the Genital stage, which is the final stage of psychosexual development, occurring from puberty onwards.
Option C: The period from birth to 1 year is the Oral stage, where the infant's primary source of interaction and pleasure is through the mouth.
Option D: The period from 1 to 3 years is the Anal stage, where the primary focus of the libido is on controlling bladder and bowel movements.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding developmental theories like Freud's helps nurses assess if a child's behavior is age-appropriate and provides a framework for patient education with parents.
Fixations at a certain stage can manifest as specific personality traits in adulthood. For example, a nurse might recognize that an adult patient's issues with orderliness and control could be linked to unresolved conflicts from the anal stage.
What if? A 7-year-old child suddenly starts exhibiting behaviors typical of the phallic stage, such as intense curiosity about genitals. A nurse would recognize this as a potential regression, possibly due to stress (like hospitalization), and would focus on providing a secure environment and therapeutic play to help the child cope, rather than shaming the behavior.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key concept in the question, which is the 'Phallic stage' of 'psychosexual development' by 'Sigmund Freud'.
This is a factual recall question that requires knowledge of a specific psychological theory.
Systematically recall or review Freud's five stages of development: Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital.
Associate the correct age range with each stage.
Match the 'Phallic stage' to its corresponding age range (3 to 5 or 6 years) among the given options.
Eliminate the other options by identifying which developmental stage they represent (Genital, Oral, and Anal).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development
Stem keywords: Phallic stage, psychosexual development, Sigmund Freud
Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Q4pwBJZR6qa066RvQDSekf

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 1 p. 163-165

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 2976-2978

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