Psychology Assessment
Gail Reeder

Miss X is a 50 year old woman with a sever learning disability. She attends a day care service within the community along with other adults who have a learning disability, associated physical disabilities and complex level of needs including health care needs.
Miss X had no verbal communication skills. She requires constant attention and requires assistance with feeding, dressing and toileting. Miss X will also pick up anything and put it in her mouth. Miss X was born into a nuclear family and was the 2nd youngest of 5 children. She was born healthy and with no medical condition. At about the age of 18months Miss X fell from a chute and sustained a fractured skull. After this Miss X also had 3 attacks of meningitis, the last being at about age 8. Since then she has remained in her present condition. Miss X attended school until the age of 8 years old but was too hyperactive and the mainstream school could not cope with the needs of Miss X. She then stayed at home for 2 years and at the age of 10 attended a day centre. Miss X did not cope well here. Miss X then moved homes with her mother and one of her siblings and stared to attend a hospital day centre.
Freud’s psychological theory is known as the Stages of Psychosexual Development. Freud believes that these stages define how human personality develops from our birth up to and including early adulthood. He believed that children experience unconscious sexual fixations as they grow and that these urges change drastically after each stage. The stages that Freud refers to are Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital. The oral stage is from birth to 18 months. In this stage the mouth is the infant’s erogenous zone and is where all the infants’ energy is focused. They gain pleasure through sucking and eating. The child develops a sense of comfort through oral stimulation. Fixation in this stage may result in issues with dependency. The Anal stage is from 18months to 3 years. This stage begins near the age of one when the child is just beginning toilet training. The erogenous zone then moves from the oral to the anal region and the child realises that going to the toilet is a pleasurable event. Freud believed that the unconscious mind was going through conflict at this time. The Phallic Stage 3 years to 6 years. The erogenous zone moves from the anal to genitals. Males can become sexually intrigued by their mothers and jealous of their fathers and females can become attracted their fathers. They may also develop penis envy. Freud believed that fixation on this stage can result in homosexuality due to gender identity issues. The Latency Stage 8 years to 13 years. In this stage sexual drive is dormant but children repress their sexual desire and instead focus on academics, sports, etc. Same sex friendships develop during this stage. The final stage is The Genital Stage this is from puberty on wards. Sexual urges are aroused even more in this stage and improper transition into this stage may result in failure to form heterosexual relationships. Freud believed that if you move through each stage properly then there should be no consequences. Due to Miss X having a severe learning disability she has not went through all of these stages but has remained in the first stage, The oral stage. Miss X will put all objects she picks up into her mouth and this is written into her care plan to make all staff aware of this danger and the risk assessments in place to protect her.Freud said that fixation in this stage may result in issues with dependency. Miss X is dependent on care for all aspects of her life.
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs Miss X’s physiological and safety needs are met but due to her sever learning disability she will not progress up the rest of the hierarchy say what the stages are but you don’t need to give anymore information .Miss X has the physiological and safety needs that she needs but this is due to her supports