Freud's 'Oral Stage' of Psychosexual Development from a Behaviorist Perspective

Freud’s idea of an oral fixation as a stage of psychosexual development is not limited to the psychoanalyst paradigm. It can also been examined through the behaviorist paradigm, namely through the principle of operant conditioning.

The principle of operant conditioning is as follows: when we receive positive reinforcement for a behavior, we will repeat the behavior in order to receive the positive outcome. If we feel the need for something, and we discover an action that allows us to satisfy that need, we will continue to repeat that behavior.

An infant’s primary need is food and they discover that suckling on their mother’s breast will provide food. They learn that if they suck on their mother’s breast, they will receive food and satisfy their hunger. Therefore, it is not surprising that infants become fixated on sucking, as they have discovered it to be the most satisfying and rewarding behavior. Since this is the infant’s primary goal and desire, they learn to associate with the satisfaction of their needs, desires, and urges. They will then continuously repeat this behavior to fulfill their desires. Though sucking their thumbs obviously does not help babies obtain food, it is a substitution behavior. Since they have learned that sucking leads to favorable outcomes, they will still find pleasure in the simple act of sucking.

I personally do not see this as being an inherently ‘sexual’ behavior. However, I can certainly see how they are analogous. If we see sex as the means through which we satisfy an intense urge. A baby learns to suck its mother’s breast to receive food, which alleviates the physical need for food. It relieves hunger and anxiety. People also learn that various sexual behaviors alleviate a physical need for sexual satisfaction. We essentially discover that when we engage in sexual activity, our physical urges and our sexual tension is alleviated and in its place, we experience pleasure. Just as a baby experiences pleasure when they receive milk, people experience pleasure when they engage in sexual behaviors. With both food and sex, we discover ways to fulfill basic needs and desires. It is only natural that we continue to engage in these behaviors. As I said earlier, operant conditioning occurs when we discover that a behavior leads to positive outcomes, and once we discover this, we repeat our behavior again and again.

Therefore, it is incredibly logical that infants become fixated on satisfaction through oral means. I don’t know if I would go as far as to say that they experience sexual satisfaction through sucking behaviors, but they certainly experience positive physical outcomes.