Genetic model of psychoanalysis

Thanks to various authors, today we see personality in a different way. Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was one of them. With his ingenious way of seeing the human psyche he found new answers to our behavior, building theories that were unthinkable for the time. One of them is the genetic model of psychoanalysis, which we will deal with today.

The study of sexuality and the unconscious surely have not had an exclusive origin in Freud. However, it was he who made these aspects of the human being known, from a different perspective: psychodynamics. His theories, studies, clinical practice and publications represented a revolution.

His approaches to sexuality gave a lot to talk about. They went beyond the thinking of the time, raising such controversial issues as sexuality in children.

Genetic model of psychoanalysis: origins

Psychoanalysis has various concepts that are complex due to the roots they have in other concepts: it is difficult to isolate a definition without having to give another. This is because they complement each other since they are in constant movement. Thus, We cannot say that the genetic model of psychoanalysis has an exclusive origin.

Rather, It is a theoretical disposition that arises from all the previous explorations made by Freud. This includes both his studies and research, as well as his learning in various hospitals and his clinical practice with various patients.

If we make an effort to establish a more specific origin, we could say that This theory begins to consolidate with his book Three essays on sexual theory ; a book that brings us closer to understanding human sexuality from a psychoanalytic perspective.

Genetic model of psychoanalysis: what is it about?

Freud proposed different models to understand personality. The genetic model is one of them. The others are: topographic, dynamic, economic and structural.

Specific, The genetic model emphasizes the search for gratification with the stimulation of the different erogenous zones. It would include our entire life cycle, so childhood would also have a place.

However, Depending on the gratification, we will develop different types of personalities. So, if there is frustration it will be different from if the gratification is excessive. In this way, each human being will be unique for psychoanalysis because they will have a different development.

Stages of psychosexual development of psychoanalysis

The genetic model of psychoanalysis includes different stages. Each one will have an erogenous zone, a fixation and sudden frustration. Let’s look at each of the phases of the also called theory of psychosexual development:

Oral stage. It occurs from zero to 18 months. Your erogenous zone is the mouth. The satisfaction will be in the use of it, for example when kissing, sucking, biting and eating. It is divided into two: passive oral phase where sucking is what gives pleasure, and active oral phase, which arises with the appearance of teeth and is characterized by biting. Fixation at this stage gives rise to a receptive personality, in which the focus of pleasure will continue to be oral, for example: smoking. Sudden frustration, on the other hand, gives rise to an aggressive personality, in which pleasure is sought in a hostile way.Anal phase. It ranges from 18 months to approximately 4 years. The center of pleasure is the anus, related to the actions of expelling and retaining. There is a sadistic anal phase, which is characterized by the expulsion of feces, and can be related to a fixation that results in wasting money; and a passive or retentive anal phase, characterized by sphincter control, which can give rise to an individual with a penchant for mischief as a method of maintaining control.Phallic stage. It occurs from approximately 4 to 7 years of age. The erogenous zone is the genitals. At this stage the child’s curiosity about his body increases, which is why masturbation is frequent. Anxiety also arises due to the difference in sex and there is an identification with the father or mother. Besides, The resolution of the Oedipus complex occurs, a process that will structure our personality. Positive Oedipus may occur, in which the child will feel attraction for the parent of the opposite sex and hatred or rivalry towards the parent of the same sex; or negative, when there is attraction for the parent of the same sex and rejection towards the opposite.Lag phase. It occurs from approximately 7 to 12 years of age. Here, the sexual drive is kept repressed so that the subject can integrate with his or her environment and so that learning is facilitated. Here the personality is given form or structure. This stage It is characterized by children playing with peers of the same sex.Genital stage. It is present from approximately 12 years of age onwards, and the erogenous zone is the genitals. Here sexual identity is reaffirmed. In addition, Oedipal fantasies reappear. The sexual drive occurs in adolescence that is more oriented towards sexual relations.

Psychosexual development is a dynamic process, which is why the phases coexist without rigidity. Furthermore, depending on how the process occurs, different disorders could manifest.

As we have seen, Freud’s genetic model offers us an original approach to the personality of the individual taking into account his sexuality. A perspective, revolutionary for the time, that remains controversial today.

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