Question
How can you help a child in the anal phase learn to use the toilet?
Answer
A child’s anal phase usually lasts for about two months before coming to an end, marking the transition of the child’s sexual psychology to the next stage—the genital phase. During these two months, if adults are too strict in training the child to use the toilet, the child may feel tense and experience high psychological stress. This can disrupt the child’s natural rhythm of controlling bowel movements, leading to more instances of accidents in clothes and a prolonged anal phase. In some cases, children may not complete their anal phase for several months or even over half a year, which can cause a stagnation in their sexual development.