The theory proposed by Sigmund Freud that suggests children go through a series of stages where their focus of pleasure and sexual energy shifts from one erogenous zone to another, shaping their personality.
Related terms
Erogenous zones: Areas of the body that are particularly sensitive and can provide pleasure when stimulated.
When a person gets "stuck" or fixated at a particular stage of psychosexual development due to unresolved conflicts, which can impact their adult behaviors.
Oedipus complex: A concept from Freud's theory where young boys develop unconscious sexual desires for their mothers and see their fathers as rivals.