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anal stage

in the classical psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, the second stage of psychosexual development, typically occurring during the 2nd year of life, in which the child’s interest and sexual pleasure are focused on the expulsion and retention of feces and the sadistic instinct is linked to the desire to both possess and destroy the object. Fixation during this stage results in an anal personality. Also called anal phase. See also anal-expulsive phase; anal-retentive phase; anal-sadistic phase.

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Psychology term of the day

May 6th 2024

blocking

blocking

n.

1. a process in which one’s flow of thought or speech is suddenly interrupted (see block). Also called thought deprivation; thought obstruction.

2. the process of grouping research participants into relatively homogeneous subsets on the basis of a particular characteristic. Such blocking helps adjust for preexisting patterns of variation between experimental units. See block design.