ASWB LCSW Social Work Clinical Practice Exam

What characterizes the latency stage of development?

1. Active sexual urges

2. Focus on bowel movements

3. Sexuality is dormant

4. Development of the superego

The correct answer is: Sexuality is dormant

During the latency stage of development, which typically occurs from around ages six to puberty, the sexual urges that become prominent during earlier stages are largely dormant. This period is marked by a significant emphasis on socialization, learning, and the development of skills and interests. Rather than engaging in sexual exploration or urges, children in the latency stage often direct their energy toward making friendships, participating in hobbies, and developing peer relationships. This stage allows for the consolidation of the skills and knowledge acquired in the earlier stages of psychosexual development while the individual prepares for the challenges of adolescence. The other choices do not accurately reflect the characteristics of the latency stage. While the development of the superego is pertinent to psychoanalytic theory, especially during the preceding phallic stage, it is not a specific characteristic of latency. The focus on bowel movements is primarily associated with the anal stage of development, and active sexual urges are associated with the genital stage of development that emerges later. Thus, the specific interplay of social and cognitive development coupled with suppressed sexual urges is what fundamentally characterizes the latency stage.