stage

[stāj]

1. a distinct period or phase, as of development of a disease or organism. For specific names of stages, see under the name.

2. the platform of a microscope on which the slide containing the object to be studied is placed.

anal stage in psychoanalytic theory, the second stage of psychosexual development, occurring between the ages of 1 and 3 years, during which the infant's activities, interests, and concerns are on the anal zone. It is preceded by the oral stage and followed by the phallic stage. See also sexual development.

first stage of labor see labor.

fourth stage of labor see labor.

genital stage in psychoanalytic theory, the last stage in psychosexual development, occurring during puberty, during which the person can achieve sexual gratification from genital-to-genital contact and is capable of a mature relationship with a person of the opposite sex. It follows the latency stage. See also sexual development.

latency stage

1. the incubation period of any infectious disorder.

2. the quiescent period following an active period in certain infectious diseases, during which the pathogen remains dormant for a variable length of time before again initiating signs of active disease.

3. in psychoanalytic theory, the relatively quiescent period in psychosexual development following the phallic stage and lasting from age 5 or 6 years to adolescence. Energy is focused on learning and on more organized play. See also sexual development.

oral stage in psychoanalytic theory, the earliest stage of psychosexual development, lasting from birth to about 18 months, during which the oral zone is the center of the infant's needs, expression, and pleasurable erotic experiences. It is followed by the anal stage. See also sexual development.

phallic stage in psychoanalytic theory, the third stage in psychosexual development, lasting from age 2 or 3 years to 5 or 6 years, during which sexual interest, curiosity, and pleasurable experiences are centered on the penis in boys and the clitoris in girls. It is preceded by the anal stage and followed by the latency stage. See also sexual development.

prodromal stage the period of early symptoms of a disease occurring after the incubation period and just before the appearance of the characteristic symptoms of the disease.

second stage of labor see labor.

third stage of labor see labor.

anal stage

The period of pregenital psychosexual development, usually from age 1 to 3, in which the child has particular interest and concern with the process of defecation and the sensations connected with the anus; the pleasurable part of the experience is termed anal eroticism.

anal stage

A stage in the psychosexual development, proposed by Sigmund Freud, in which the child's preoccupation is with the anal region and the faeces.