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The '''oral stage''' in [[psychology]] is the term used by [[Sigmund Freud]] to describe the development during the first eighteen months of life, in which an [[infant]]'s [[pleasure center]]s centers are in the [[mouth]]. This is the first of Freud's [[psychosexual stages]].
If a child was not fed enough or was fed too much (over-protected), this may later create an [[oral fixation]] in that adult. It is believed that [[fixation]] in the oral stage can cause one of two things. If the child was treated well, fed lots, he will be orally dependent, and therefore selfish and wanton because he is used to getting what he wants. He might learn to manipulate others to fulfill his needs rather than maturing to independence. The overly indulged child may resist growing up and try to return to that state of dependency through crying, acting helpless, demanding satisfaction, and being "needy."
** [[Genital stage]]
[[Category:Dictionary]]
[[Category:Freudian psychology]]
