Introductory Lectures on Neuropsychoanalysis/Psychotherapy: Lecture Four, Part 1 " How the Mind Develops" "Anal" Stage

Freud's second psychosexual stage is the Anal Stage, occurring in the second year or so of life. Freud believed that in this stage the toddler was preoccupied with sexual anal pleasures ( the anus being the second erogenous zone).  These anal pleasures and unpleasures , due to their being met or not met by the Mother/Father, created psychic conflicts and resulting compromise formations. This was Freud's anal stage power struggle between the toddler's desire to satisfy anal pleasures, and the Parent's neccesary restriction of those pleasures. This power struggle led to angry feelings that began to develop in the toddler, along with fears of retribution and/or abandonment( loss of the Object's love) by the Parent. " My will (toddler) verses your will (Parent)" became a major issue for  Freud's  anal stage child.

Instead of anal drives, neuropsychoanalysis  points to ego growth and development. But the ego, at this stage, is still not sufficiently strong enough to handle ambivalence--which can see others as whole objects ( verses part objects.)  Mahler and Anna Freud called this more mature ego ability object constancy.  Sigmund  Freud named this later stage  object love.

Melanie Klein believed this level of functioning could also be included in the paranoid/schizoid position, but may move as well to the depressive position. The ego at this level has developed partial control over the id but not full control. The toddler is still too controlled by it's basic emotions. It is in a better position than it was at the oral/infant level,  but not yet where it will hopefully be at the age of three to six years old. 

Adult psychopathologies that may occur when the basic needs of this time go unmet, are the  Narcissistic/Borderline disorders. These disorders, like the psychoses, rely mainly on  primitive defenses to ward off the unpleasant feelings resulting from the unrealistic predictions of this period. But again, certain disorders cannot always be linked to certain developmental phases. 

In neuropsychoanalysis we further believe that the main basic emotional need/drive demanding to be met at this time is RAGE. This goes along partially  with Freud's destructive/aggressive drive, and the toddler's anger and aggression toward the Mother/Father  who limits its pleasures. RAGE results when the toddler's  unrealistic, repressed prediction cannot allow it to successfully remove impediments in the way of meeting its basic emotional needs. Patients today who present with the unpleasant feeling of RAGE, were likely unable at this stage to successfully remove  obstacles standing in the way of meeting their other basic needs.