EThis post will briefly discuss the psychosexual and object relations aspects that occur during the anal stage. That is, the developmental period from the first year of life to approximately three years of age.
Similarly, and although they do not coincide temporally, the different types of attachment that have been built up throughout the first year of life are described.
ANAL PHASE
It is one of the most important stages because during it the child experiences his first experiences of autonomy, of relationships and in which the first traces of bisexuality, the feeling of control over others and sadomasochistic elements appear.
We follow the same format as in the previous post:
Psychosexual development
- The pulsional source. It is the primary erogenous zone and is located in the anorectal-sigmoid anatomical area. It is the site of libidinal investment (the zone of erotic pleasure). It should be noted that its libidinal investment is diffuse.
- The object of the anal drive Its interpretation is complex. However, some aspects are quite clear, such as the fact that this phase is when the first attempts at control and manipulation of the maternal figure appear. Feces are the intermediary element in the manipulation process. For Freud, this phase would be the main source of obsessive neurosis.
Therefore, the functions of intestinal fecal content would serve as a direct erogenous stimulant and, at the same time, help the child to begin to become aware of the existence of internal and external objects.
If during the oral phase the infant experiences the fantasy of being "phagocytosed", "swallowed", it is during the anal phase that fantasies of being "empty" appear.
Another important aspect for emotional development is the fact that, during the process of sphincter control, the child often uses feces as a "currency" to bolster his manipulative and controlling behaviors over parental figures.
- The purpose of the drive This phase is more complex than the previous (oral) one. For Freud, both the expulsion and retention of fecal matter are sources of pleasure. However, it was Karl Abraham who best systematized the psychosexual characteristics of this phase. He distinguished two sub-phases: the expulsive and the retentive.
- The expulsion It is characterized by its autoerotic role and by providing the child with a release of tension. It tells us that in this phase there is also additional pleasure as a consequence of the parents' insistence on achieving sphincter control.
Therefore, according to Abraham, this sub-phase would be marked by autoeroticism and by sadistic-anal elements as a consequence of using the expulsion of feces as an intermediary object to challenge the parents.
- Retention. In this sub-phase, autoerotic pleasure also exists. It is a passive discovery in the child that usually progresses to voluntary retention. This voluntary control of defecation/retention leads the child to become aware that "they can do whatever they want," which is the initial source of what is often called autoerotic masochism. The sadistic aspect of this process is determined by the fact that the child uses feces as a gift to parents who are completely focused on sphincter control. Like voluntary retention, this indicates hostility towards them. It is precisely in this phase that the first signs of this sadistic, autoerotic, oppositional, and aggressive attitude appear.
The object relationship.
Both the elements of erotic pleasure and the pressures from parents to achieve sphincter control will give rise to unique characteristics in this phase of psychosexual development: sadism, masochism, and ambivalence.
- Sadism. The elements of erotic and aggressive pleasure are related to the tendency to destroy the external object
as in the intention to control parental figures. Sphincter control leads children to become aware of "private property," the feeling of omnipotence, and a narcissistic overestimation derived from their sense of control, dominance, and opposition. Ultimately, it leads to the feeling of possessing their parents.
- Masochism It is based on the experience of obtaining pleasure through painful experiences. It is the stage where the child provokes in order to trigger aggression from the parents.
- Ambivalence It arises from the struggle he maintains between performing the expulsion of feces as a gift and the retention as his need for self and heterocontrol.
Freud places the foundations of sexual orientation in this phase. He tells us that bisexuality maintains a close relationship with anal eroticism. The rectum can be a predominantly excretory organ, giving rise to masculine tendencies. But it can also be passively stimulated by the introduction of foreign bodies, which would give rise to feminine tendencies.
Similarly, Freud places passive/active and submissive/dominant behaviors in this phase.
Homosexuality would be the result of an object relationship in which narcissistic elements predominate, including anal stimulation activity.
DEVELOPMENT OF ATTACHMENT
Although attachment is usually formed during the first years of life, its boundaries are often blurred. Therefore, I thought it appropriate to present some images of the different types of attachment in this post, following [the relevant research/guideline]. M. Ainsworth.
I am not aware of any studies that directly link psychosexual development and corresponding object relations with different attachment styles. However, it is interesting and striking to observe the existence of behavioral and emotional elements in different attachment styles that are reminiscent of those found in the various phases of psychosexual development and object relations.
Below are some slides that describe the different types of attachment and the mother/child behaviors and interactions in each of them.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:- Psychologie pathologique. J. Bergeret and cosl
- The affective and intellectual development of the child. B. Golse
- Le premier lien. Theory of attachment. B. Pierrehumbert
