Freud on Psychosexual Stages

After Hall's massive two-volume work on adolescence came Freud's psychosexual stages. It was not completely focused on just adolescence, but rather, a general theory of psychological development from infancy to adulthood.

The last two stages described by Freud are of what pre-teens and teenagers go through - the latency stage and then the genital stage. He viewed the pre-adolescent "latency" period as a time when libido interests are suppressed. The development of the ego and superego contribute to this period of calm. The stage begins around the time that children enter into school and become more concerned with peer relationships, hobbies and other interests. The latent period is a time of exploration in which the sexual energy is still present, but it is directed into other areas such as intellectual pursuits and social interactions. This stage is important in the development of social and communication skills and self-confidence.

Upon entering the "genital" phase of adolescence, the teen is bombarded with instinctual impulses that disrupt the balance of the id, ego and superego. The ego is torn between the strong impulses of the id and the restrictions of the superego. The libido is "sexually awakened" and the teen begins to develop strong sexual attraction towards others. The teen moves from solely considering individual needs to developing interest in the welfare of others. Freud proposed that this initial conflict makes adolescence a time of tremendous stress and turmoil, fraught with internal struggle.

As you can see, early theorists, including Freud, seemed to follow suit on Hall's characterisation of adolescence as a time of storm and stress.

References:

Freud, S. (1925). Three contributions to the sexual theory. Nervous and Mental Disease Monograph Series, No. 7. New York: Nervous and Mental Disease Publishing Co.

Muuss, Rolf E. (1975). Theories of Adolescence, 3rd Edition. New York: Random House.