Sexuality in childhood is so important and deserves a careful look by adults. The knowledge presented here will give you an understanding of latency phase.

Traumatic, sexual experiences in childhood

Freud, in his clinical practice on the causes and functioning of neuroses, discovered that most repressed thoughts and desires refer to conflicts of a sexual order, located in the early years of life of individuals.

That is, in childhood there are traumatic, repressed experiences that are configured as the origin of current symptoms, thus confirming that the occurrences of this period of life leave deep scars in the personality structure.

The stages of psychosexual development

Freud divided the STAGES OF PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT in:

• Oral Phase (0 months to 18 months): libido centered in the oral region (mouth, lips, teeth, gums, and jaws). The pleasure is in sucking. The traces that we carry until today is the pleasure we feel when feeding, biting, sucking, kissing.
• Anal Phase (18 months to 3/ 4 years), the libido decreases in intensity in the oral region and becomes centralized in the anus region. The pleasure is in retaining or releasing the physiological needs (pee and poop). During this phase, a process called the Oedipus Complex also begins in the child's development.
• Phallic Phase (from 3 to 6 years old, approx.): this is the period when the boy begins to better perceive his penis and is afraid of losing it, while (for Freud) in girls there may already be an idea of "loss". It is in the phallic phase that the Oedipus complex develops, in which the boy or girl will feel affection for the mother or father and will rival the other (father or mother).
• Latency Phase or Latency Period (from 6 years old to the onset of puberty): boys and girls modify the way they relate affectively with their parents. They focus their energies on the social interactions that they begin to establish with other children, and on sports and school activities, with the overcoming or suspension of the Oedipus Complex and Electra Complex.
• Genital Phase (from puberty on): this is considered the "mature" period of sexual development, with emphasis on genital pleasure (penis, vagina/clitoris).

Freud states that the Latency Phase lasts from about 6 years to the onset of puberty

Latency Phase It would be the time between the stimulus and the reaction of the individual. In this period, the libido is impelled to manifest itself and the unresolved sexual desires of the phallic phase are not satisfied by the ego and are repressed by the superego.

During this phase, sexuality usually does not advance any further, on the contrary, sexual yearnings diminish in vigor and many things that the child used to do and know are abandoned and forgotten.

In this period of life, after the first efflorescence of sexuality has died down, ego attitudes such as shame, disgust and morality They are destined to weather the further storm of puberty, and to lay the groundwork for the awakening sexual desires (FREUD, 1926, book XXV, p. 128).

Id, Ego and Superego

For your better understanding, the concepts below belong to Freud (1940, book 7, pp. 17-18).

• O Id contains everything that is inherited The Id is the original, basic and central personality structure of the human being, exposed both to the somatic demands of the body and to the demands of the ego and the superego. The Id would be the reservoir ofenergy of the whole personality.
• O Ego is the part of the psychic apparatus that is in contact with external reality, The Ego develops from the Id; as the person becomes aware of his own identity, he learns to placate the constant demands of the Id. Like the bark of a tree, the Ego protects the Id, but draws from it sufficient energy for its achievements. It has the task of ensuring health, safety and sanity.One of the main characteristics of the Ego is to establish the connection between sensory perception and muscular action, that is, to command voluntary movement. This latter personality structure develops from the Ego.
• O Superego acts as a judge or moral sensor over the Ego's activities and thoughts Freud describes three functions of the superego: consciousness, self-observation and the formation of ideals: "A large part of the ego and the superego can remain unconscious and is usually unconscious, that is, the person knows nothing of their contents and efforts must be made to make them so.(FREUD, 1933, book 28, p. 88-89)

Sexuality in the Latency Phase

At lag phase the child's sexuality becomes sometimes repressed, sometimes sublimated, focusing on intellectual and social activities and learning, such as games, school, and establishing friendships that will strengthen the sexual identity of both, that is, the feminine and masculine characteristics.

They begin to have new identity references, such as teachers (who usually become the child's passion) and also begin to identify with the heroes of fictions.

At this stage, they tend to form peer groups, intensifying the relationship between children of the same sex. This is when the so-called "Clube do "Little ball" and "Luluzinha". .

Conclusion about the Latency Phase

O latency period or phase is when the culturally determined sexual values and roles are acquired, the games of "casinha" (little house) arise, such as "Daddy and Mommy" among others.

This is when, according to Freud, the child begins to feel shame and due to the imposed morals.

Author: Claudia Bernaski, exclusively for Training Course in Clinical Psychoanalysis (sign up).

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