Which stage in personality development is characterized by relative calm and repressed sexual urges?

Get ready for your SACE Stage 2 Personality Exam. Review with detailed questions and explanatory answers. Build confidence for your final assessment!

The latent stage of personality development is indeed characterized by a relative calm in which sexual urges are repressed, and children typically focus on developing skills and social relationships. This stage occurs roughly from the ages of 6 to puberty. During this time, energies are directed towards acquiring knowledge, themes of friendship, and developing various hobbies, rather than sexual interests.

The repression of sexual urges means that during the latent stage, children may not actively think about or engage in sexual topics, allowing them to concentrate on other areas of growth such as cognitive and social skills. This is important for personality development, as it lays the groundwork for more mature interactions and helps children build their identities outside of sexual dynamics.

Understanding this context helps clarify that the latent stage is a distinctive period in Freudian theory, marked by a shift away from sexual focus toward intellectual and social development. This makes it clear why this stage is seen as a time of calm in comparison to other stages where sexual urges and identity are more pronounced and essential to the child's experience.

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