What did Freud's psychosexual stages propose about personality development?

• A. Personality develops through stages with specific erogenous zones; unresolved conflicts can lead to fixation and influence adult behavior.
• B. Personality is entirely genetic.
• C. Personality is fixed at birth.
• D. Personality is shaped only by current environment.

Answer: (A)

Freud's psychosexual theory says personality develops through stages, each tied to a particular erogenous zone, and unresolved conflicts at a stage can leave a person stuck there (fixation). That fixation influences adult behavior and traits because the early energy and needs from that zone shape how a person copes and expresses themselves later on. The stages move from oral to anal to phallic, then latent, and finally genital, with the idea that how conflicts are resolved at each step builds the structure of personality.

This explains why the correct idea is that personality develops through stages with specific erogenous zones, and unresolved conflicts can lead to fixation shaping adult behavior. It’s not about genetics alone, it isn’t thought to be fixed at birth, and it isn’t determined solely by the current environment.