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The Anal Stage

    Children from the age of around one year olds to about the age of three begin to be potty-trained.  They begin to have voluntary control of the retinal excretion.  This begins the next stage of development: the anal stage.   The type of conflict begins between the parent and child.  While the parent wants the child to expel the feces, the child tends to want to hold onto it longer.  They child connects the discharge of the feces with an aggressive instinct.  They fulfill their fantasies of bombing or smashing (Kaplan 214).  People who get through this stage without trouble are capable of making decisions without sensing guilt or self-doubt.  If a person becomes stuck in this stage, they may become stubborn, obsessed with orderliness, and parsimonious (Kaplan 214).  They have difficulty letting go of things much as they did when being potty-trained (Kaplan and Sadock, Synopsis of Psychiatry 214).