Freud's Psychosexual Stage Conception: A Developmental Metaphor for Counselors

In this article, the author conceptualizes the counseling process and its outcome by comparing it metaphorically to Freud's psychosexual stage conception of personality development. Specifically, he focuses on resemblances between the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages of both Freud's conception and the counseling process. Suggestive of the heuristic quality of metaphorical comparisons, new meanings can be drawn from these resemblances, leading to fresh insight into the nature of the counseling relationship.