Freud's Psychology of Potty Training - Is it True?

[DeeDay]

Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this stage is toilet training--the child has to learn to control his or her bodily needs. Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.

According to Freud, success at this stage is dependent upon the way in which parents approach toilet training. Parents who utilize praise and rewards for using the toilet at the appropriate time encourage positive outcomes and help children feel capable and productive. Freud believed that positive experiences during this stage served as the basis for people to become competent, productive, and creative adults.

However, not all parents provide the support and encouragement that children need during this stage. Some parents' instead punish, ridicule, or shame a child for accidents. According to Freud, inappropriate parental responses can result in negative outcomes. If parents take an approach that is too lenient, Freud suggested that an anal-expulsive personality could develop in which the individual has a messy, wasteful, or destructive personality. If parents are too strict or begin toilet training too early, Freud believed that an anal-retentive personality develops in which the individual is stringent, orderly, rigid, and obsessive.

What are your views? Could the "lifestyle" lead by some modern parents be responsible for the rise in unruly children, ADHD, autism etc - its an interesting one.

So if you are strict society will improve? Too lienient then they will have an asbo by the time they are 14?

Genuine Question, I just want to summerise in my head what Freud would make of it today.

I think that Freud has a lot to answer for! As parents we all feel guilty enough already. I'm not saying that everything he said is rubbish but I do think its OTT - in my mother's day for example almost all children were potty trained young and they didnt all turn out to be rigid and obsessive.

I am trying to do things by instinct and accept that sometimes I will get it wrong - this in itself is character forming for the child . (Imagine how hard it would be to have perfect parents!)

i donlt see the jump from potty training to increase in autism

but i do agree that punishing a child for accidents during potty training is wrong and counterproductive

Don't forget Freud was trying to introduce the idea that child rearing practice mattered in an era where children weren't really seen as 'people', they were just things that fitted into life and then suddenly turned into adult 'real people' later so he had to be very clear about what was 'good' and 'bad'. Nowadays we're far more clued up about what affects children so we know it won't just be one area of childhood that influences a person's whole personality but the basic theory is common sense these days.

If you're constantly too strict with a child about anything they'll become nervous and anxious about it, which may lead to anxieties in later life. If you never set boundaries the child will never learn to be disciplined in later life, most people will agree to that and that's basically what to take away from Freud.

He went further and set out ages of development and the likely things important to a child at that age but these days that sort of thing is in every child-related book, it's only what spin you decide to put on it and the values you decide to put onto your children.

I'd say Freud was right that having no boundaries is bad for a child, and that's probably why some kids are unruly today but it fits into a far bigger society picture and out society is completely different to that of Freud.

Melanie Klein used Freud's theories but made more 'modern' sense of them, read some of her stuff for a better take on it.

Lastly, Freud was on drugs a heck of a lot of the time, bear that in mind

I think there is something in it but I agree that there is far more these days that will influence the way a person turns out.

I agree that it is bad to start too early and that you should use more carrot and less stick. It makes sense from that point of view.

In potty training mine, I waited until she was ready and I think the key to doing it successfully was being consistant and rewarding good beheviour.

In the home that was easy but going out it was hard work especially in the car. I refused to put her back in nappies. If she did not wet the car seat and asked for the potty she got lots of hugs and rewards. She very soon learned that going to the toilet or potty was something good.

Freud's views have been widely discredited - thankfully so in the world of autism. Autism is a neurological disorder, almost certainly genetic in origin, and will occur in a child regardless of parenting methods. Whilst our methods of counting, cataloguing and diagnosing the autistic have changed dramatically, the disorder itself has not. Freudian psycho analysis was opposed in principle to the idea of a diagnosis as it was founded on the (false) premise that disturbances in the family background can cause mental illness.

My autistic son was finally toilet trained 2 weeks ago ( 4.3 months) but he's still autistic.

I just waited until my kids begged to use the toilet. With ds1 it was 31mths with dd 26mths... Ds1 was dry day and night from the off. Dd dry daytime but another year for night.
praise? For pooing and peeing? I certainly reward appropriate behaviour and would gently reprove an error. But it is a basic life function. Not a piano recital.

Very interesting post wobblyknicks, thank you.

Freud is a load of rubbish

I have a psychology degree and we all had to do essays on WHY Freud should not be 'used as an example o psychology today but was more important in the beginning of psychology.

Everything he said was just his own opinion, and his studies were based on a very small handful of mentally ill friends / aquaintances

No 'experiment' was done reliably OR had validity and if any person now did something similar for a dissertation etc they would FAIL and not pass their degree.

So dont listen to a word Freud said

He was an eccentric man who wrote down his opinions off the top of his head with no proof at all!