They may also realize that this ability could give them power over their parents. The id and the ego are in conflict during this stage. The ego gives the child the ability to control desires. If the child's parents are too lenient about teaching him about the bowel movements and appropriate times for such things, as an adult they may get pleasure from the expulsion. These people are Anal-Expulsive which means they are generally sloppy, disorganized, reckless, defiant, and careless. If the parents are constantly pressuring and punishing the child may enjoy withholding these movements. These children become Anal-Retentive. This type of person is usually obsessively clean and orderly, and intolerant of those who are not, very careful, withholding, meticulous, conforming, passive-aggressive, and stingy. Successfully accomplishing this stage will move the child onto the third stage.
The third stage of this theory is the phallic stage, which usually starts at age four and goes until the child is around 6. During this phase the child is focused on their genitalia. The children are usually discovering and playing with their genitals during this time. The stage can be the hardest for the children. During this time the child is feeling attracted to their parent of the opposite sex. For boys, this is called the Oedipus Complex. This name comes from the Greek myth "Oedipus" where he kills his father and marries his mother unconsciously. The girls" complex is called Electra Complex and works the same way as the Oedipus Complex. During this time the boys can often have castration anxiety. They have a fear that their father will found out that the boy desires his mother and castrate him as punishment. Girls may experience penis envy. Girls believe that they once had a penis but it was removed. Success in these complexes is the core of normal development and failure can result in a disorder.
