Psychodynamic explanation of gender development

Freud also described psychosexual stages when the life force is focused on different body parts. According to Freud, Gender developement occurs during the third stage which is the Phallic stage when a child between ages of 3 and 6 years. At this time a childs libido is focused on his/her genitals. The child's gender identitiy is reduced during this stage either through the Oedipus complex in boys or the Electra complex in girls.

The Oedipus complex - Freud proposed that, during this genital stage boys experience the oedipus complext which has three components:

• Boys desire their mothers. At the age of three or four, a young boy becomes aware of his sexuality and desires his mother, wanting her sole attention
• Boys then see their fathers as a rival for their mother's love and as a result wish their fathers were dead. This wish creates anxiety and fear of castration. Such fears are repressed.
• The complex is eventually resolved because the boy beigns to identify with his father. It is through identification with the…