anal stage

Meaning

The second phase of psychosexual development in Freudian theory, typically occurring between eighteen months and three years of age, characterized by an emphasis on toilet training and the management of bodily waste.

Examples

• Freud proposed that fixation during the anal stage could result in a personality characterized by excessive orderliness or stubbornness.
• During the anal stage, children begin to exert their independence by learning to control their own physical functions.