moves to the next stage.Development:Gilbert has successfully passed the oral stage of development which focuses on pleasure through the mouth. During this stage the child is completely dependent on the parent and, by developing comfort and trust, is able to become less dependent. It doesn't seem like he's fixed at this stage because he's learned to not only take care of himself, but also to take care of Arnie and the rest of his family. The next phase is the anal phase, which focuses on potty training. A child at this level must successfully learn to control his bodily needs with parental support and encouragement at the right time. If parents are too lenient during this stage of development, the child will develop a destructive personality. If they were too strict the child would develop an obsessive personality. On a more positive note, the child who manages to succeed in the anal stage would become a competent and productive adult. Once again it does not appear that Gilbert is fixated on the anal stage because he is truly a competent young adult who has managed to find a job to support the needs of the family. He is also very productive in his work, which is why his boss is kind not only to him but also to his family. For example, when Arnie wanted some candy and Gilbert said he couldn't buy it for him, his boss put the candy in Gilbert's shopping bag and told him he could have it. The next stage of development that most accurately describes Gilbert's personality is the phallic stage. Freud's theory indicates that a fixation occurs when parental relationships are too punitive or too indulgent. In theory, a fixation is when a person gets stuck in a particular stage of development, and he might… middle of the paper… he might be passing through too. Later he finds himself able to become an active-constructive because he began to work constructively to bring about the change he wanted to see. First, he ended his relationship with Betty and pursued Becky, who represents the freedom he wishes to gain. Stronger evidence of change is seen when he decides to disappear and run away from his problems, but instead of doing so he makes a U-turn and comes back to solve them himself. When his mother dies he leaves with Becky to travel around the world as he had wanted; with this he is taking action to change his future. His decision to take Arnie also shows that he is achieving perfection and that the people around him are not hurt by his actions. Therefore Gilbert actively and constructively brought about the change he had longed for.