I think there should be a 5th psychosexual stage in Freud’s theory. I’m surprised Freud didn’t think of this one himself.
All psychosexual stages are characterized by the location of libido being in a different part of the body. The function of this location is to ensure survival. The oral stage is to ensure the infant gets enough nutrients. The anal stage is to ensure the child relieves himself in the appropriate manner. The genital stage (well… this one I haven’t figured out). The phallic stage is to ensure reproduction.
But after one has reproduced, he/she is far from done. There is the nurturing and protection of the child that needs tending to. Indeed we all care for our young, and for the most part, all our interests are moved from ourselves to the child. I see this as another migration of the libido - from the self to the child. It serves a survival function just like all the other stages - not of the self but of your progeny. Of course, the libido of the first four stages manifests as physical pleasure whereas the caring for one’s children does not - but if the purpose is to ensure the survival of your lineage, it doesn’t have to be physical pleasure - it could be emotional.
What do you think? Should this count as a 5th psychosexual stage? Keep in mind that “psychosexual” is a misnomer. Freud did not mean to convey that sucking at the nipple or defecating to be pleasurable in a sexual way. In fact, I heard a rumor that the word “sexual” is a mistranslation of Freud’s writing, and it was meant to be translated as “sensual”.