Theory of psychosexual development - stages are associated with when certain behaviors naturally occur - based on the assumption of infant sexuality - sexuality was broader than reproductive activityincluded deriving pleasure from the body, and sublimation - the stages describe a normative sequence of different modes for gratifying sexual. this theory owes its credence to the findings of sigmund freud’ s clinical research with emotionally disturbed people. so how exactly does this psychosexual theory work? erik erikson proposed the psychosocial theory of development. during each stage, sexual energy ( libido) is expressed in different ways and through different body parts. while the theory is well- known in psychology, it is also one psychosexual theory pdf of the most controversial. the theory of psychosexual development was proposed by the famous psychoanalyst sigmund freud and described how personality developed over the course of childhood. in each stage of erikson’ s theory, there is a psychosocial task that we must master in order to feel a sense of competence. freud organized psychosexual maturation into 5 distinct phases. this unification was accomplished by first defining normative human sexual development. the theory of psychosexual development, also known as theory of libidinal development, is one of the earliest theories explaining how personality develops in human beings. pdf | on, alice sterling honig published psychosexual theory | find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. freud' s developmental theory on psychosexual development was among the first attempts to bring psychology under the same scientific structure and methodology of medicine. j reviewed by olivia guy- evans, msc sigmund freud proposed that personality development in childhood takes place during five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. erikson proposed that we are motivated by a need to achieve competence in certain areas of our lives.