Anal stage

The anal stage, in Freudian psychology, is the period of human development occurring at about one to two years of age. Around this age, the child begins to toilet train, which brings about the child's fascination in the erogenous zone of the anus. The anal stage coincides with the start of the child’s ability to control his anal sphincter, and therefore his ability to give or withhold gifts at will.

This is the second stage of Freud's psychosexual stages. This stage represents a conflict with the id, ego, and superego. The child is approached with this conflict with the parent's demands. A successful completion of this stage depends on how the parents interact with the child while toilet training. If a parent praises the child and gives rewards for using the toilet properly and at the right time then the child will successfully go through the stage. However, if a parent ridicules and punishes a child while they are at this stage the child can respond in negative ways. The child can respond to the harsh demands by refusing to use the toilet or by excreting maliciously. This behavior from a child can lead to an anal expulsive character. A child who has not successfully completed this behavior will become an adult who has an anally expulsive character. They will be characterized as disorganized, messy, reckless, careless, and defiant. If the child's tactics are overindulged then they can form an anally retentive character as an adult. The anal retentive character is the opposite of an anally expulsive character. This child will find pleasure in withholding faeces in the body. However, a child who has successfully completed this stage will be characterized as having used proper toilet training techniques throughout toilet training years and will successfully move on to the next stage of Freud's Psychosexual developmental stages. Although the stage seems to be about proper toilet training, it is also about controlling behaviors and urges. A child needs to learn certain boundaries when they are young so that in the future there will not be contention regarding what is over-stepping the boundaries.

As the physical ability to control the anal sphincter matures (2–3 years of age), the child's attention shifts from the oral to the anal zone.

This change provides further outlets for libidinal gratification and for the emerging aggressive drive.

The concept of fixation emerges here. When there is excessive gratification in this stage, it leads to the development of extremely generous, unorganized personalities. When gratification does not occur, the individual becomes extremely organized.

Anal fixation

Anal fixation, which may be caused by too much and or too little punishment during toilet training, has two possible outcomes.

• The Anal retentive personality is stingy, with a compulsive seeking of order and tidiness. The person is generally stubborn and perfectionist.
• The Anal expulsive personality is an opposite of the Anal retentive personality, and has a lack of self control, being generally messy and careless