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The '''phallic stage''' is the third of [[Freud]]'s [[psychosexual stages]], when awareness of and manipulation of the genitals is supposed to be a primary source of pleasure. In this stage the child deals with the [[Oedipus complex]], if male, or the [[Electra complex]], if female. According to Freud, this stage first occurs around the age of five and a half years.
==Female sexuality and criticism of Freud's theories==
Freud believed that it was natural for female children in this stage to focus on the [[clitoris]] as their primary organ for sexual pleasure. He believed that upon reaching adulthood and sexual maturity, a female's primary sexual focus shifts to the [[vagina]]. There is considerable criticism regarding this theory, as it portrays adult women who continue to enjoy and/or [[orgasm]] from clitoral stimulation as having not reached full sexual maturity.
==See also==
* [[Freudian psychosexual stages]]
** [[Oral stage]]
** [[Anal stage]]
** [[Genital stage]]
==Female sexuality and criticism of Freud's theories==
Freud believed that it was natural for female children in this stage to focus on the [[clitoris]] as their primary organ for sexual pleasure. He believed that upon reaching adulthood and sexual maturity, a female's primary sexual focus shifts to the [[vagina]]. There is considerable criticism regarding this theory, as it portrays adult women who continue to enjoy and/or [[orgasm]] from clitoral stimulation as having not reached full sexual maturity.
==See also==
* [[Freudian psychosexual stages]]
** [[Oral stage]]
** [[Anal stage]]
** [[Genital stage]]
