The question asks you to match a 5-year-old child’s developmental stage with the correct theorist and description. The key is to separate each theorist’s framework and avoid mixing concepts from different models.
At age 5, the child is in the preschool period. In Freud’s psychosexual theory, this corresponds to the
phallic stage, which spans roughly
3 to 6 years. During this stage, the child’s libidinal energy focuses on the genital area, and the child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences. For a girl, the central conflict is the
Electra complex—an unconscious attachment to the father and rivalry with the mother. The healthy resolution of this conflict occurs when the girl gradually identifies with her mother, adopting her values and gender-role behaviors. This identification reduces the rivalry and allows the superego to develop. Therefore,
“Freud: phallic, resolved by identifying with her mother” is the correct match for a 5-year-old girl.
The other options contain subtle but important errors that commonly appear on licensure examinations.
Watch out! Option 1 mixes two different theorists. Erikson’s psychosocial stage for ages 3 to 6 is
initiative vs. guilt, but the
Electra complex is a Freudian concept, not an Eriksonian one. Erikson’s stage centers on the child planning activities, initiating play, and developing a sense of purpose—not on psychosexual conflict. Combining “initiative vs. guilt” with “Electra complex” in one option is a classic distractor.
Watch out! Option 2 describes Freud’s
latency stage, but the age range is incorrect. Latency begins at about
6 years and continues until puberty. During latency, sexual urges are repressed, and the child’s energy is channeled into school, friendships, and hobbies. A 5-year-old has not yet entered latency; she is still in the phallic stage.
Watch out! Option 4 refers to Kohlberg’s
conventional level of moral development, specifically stage 3, the “good boy/good girl” orientation. However, conventional morality typically emerges during the school-age years and adolescence. Preschoolers generally reason at the
preconventional level, where morality is based on avoiding punishment and obtaining rewards rather than on gaining social approval.
A useful way to organize these overlapping theories is to compare their stages for the preschool period:
| Theorist | Domain | Stage at 5 years | Core feature |
|---|
| Freud | Psychosexual | Phallic (3–6 years) | Electra/Oedipus conflict; resolution through identification with same-sex parent |
| Erikson | Psychosocial | Initiative vs. guilt (3–6 years) | Planning and starting activities; developing purpose |
| Kohlberg | Moral | Preconventional | Obedience and punishment orientation; self-interest |
| Freud (next stage) | Psychosexual | Latency (6 years to puberty) | Sexual energy repressed; focus on learning and peer relationships |
Key point! When a question presents a child’s age and asks for the correct theorist-stage match, first identify the age range for each theory independently. Then check whether the description matches that theorist’s own framework. Mixing concepts across theorists—such as placing the Electra complex in Erikson’s stage or describing latency at age 5—is the most common error tested on nursing licensure exams.
In the clinical scenario, the 5-year-old’s hospitalization and parental separation are significant stressors. Understanding that she is in Freud’s phallic stage and Erikson’s initiative stage helps the nurse anticipate behaviors such as guilt over illness, fear of bodily harm, and the need for play that allows her to initiate activities and maintain a sense of control. The correct theoretical match remains that the phallic-stage conflict is resolved through identification with the same-sex parent, which for this girl means identifying with her mother.