In
Freudian psychoanalysis, the
phallic stage is the third stage of
psychosexual development, spanning the ages of three to six years, wherein the infant’s
libido (desire) centers upon his or her genitalia as the
erogenous zone. When children become aware of their bodies, the bodies of other children, and the bodies of their parents, they gratify physical curiosity by undressing and exploring each other and their genitals, the center of the phallic stage, in course of which they learn the
physical differences between “male” and “female”, and the
gender differences between “boy” and “girl”, experiences which alter the psychologic dynamics of the parent and child relationship. The phallic stage is the third of five Freudian psychosexual development stages: (i) the
oral, (ii) the
anal, (iii) the phallic, (iv) the
latent, and (v) the
genital.