ASWB LCSW Social Work Clinical Practice Exam

What is the result of unresolved issues during the phallic stage?

1. Excessive smoking

2. Guilt or anxiety about sex

3. Controlling personality traits

4. Enhancement of the superego

The correct answer is: Guilt or anxiety about sex

During the phallic stage of psychosexual development, which typically occurs between the ages of three and six years, children begin to identify with their same-sex parent and develop a sense of gender identity. This stage is characterized by the Oedipus complex in boys and the Electra complex in girls, where children experience feelings of desire for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent. If issues remain unresolved during this stage, such as conflicts with parental figures or anxiety regarding gender identity, it can lead to feelings of guilt or anxiety about sexuality in adulthood. This outcome stems from the internalization of these conflicts, which can manifest as a fear of intimacy or a fixation on sexual events, leading to difficulty in developing healthy sexual relationships later in life. The psychological implications of these unresolved issues are central to Freud's theory, emphasizing how early childhood experiences shape adult personality and behaviors regarding sexuality. The other options reflect different outcomes that do not directly correlate with unresolved conflicts from the phallic stage. Excessive smoking is more closely tied to oral fixation, controlling personality traits may arise from either fixation in the anal stage or psychological defenses, and enhancement of the superego relates to the resolution of the Oedipal or Electra complex rather than unresolved