A 6-year-old boy uses his fathers flashlight to explore his 3-year-old sisters genitalia. According to Freud, in which stage of psychosocial development should a nurse identify this behavior as normal?
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A
Oral
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B
Anal
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C
Phallic
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D
Latency
Based on the information given, the response that addresses the question is Phallic.
A. Oral
This sounds reasonable when the idea in “Oral” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
B. Anal
This would apply in a different scenario where the idea in “Anal” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
C. Phallic
This matches the stem because The nurse should identify this behavior as normal because the 6-year-old client who focuses on genital organs is in the phallic stage of Freuds stages of psychosexual stages of development. Children in the phallic stage of development focus on genital organs and develop a sense of sexual identity. Identification with the same-sex parent also occurs at this stage. Need: Psychosocial Integrity Developmental theories help the nurse connect present coping and relationship patterns to age-expected tasks, which can inform realistic goals, communication style, and supportive interventions. From a nursing standpoint, this selection guides assessment and interventions toward what is most clinically meaningful in the moment—risk reduction, safety, accurate appraisal, and support for adaptive coping.
D. Latency
This might be chosen when the idea in “Latency” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
Conclusion
What separates the best choice from the rest is specificity: the correct option addresses the exact mechanism, stage, or principle described. The other answers relate to nearby ideas, yet they miss the question’s focal point or misapply the concept to the situation.