phallic stage [L, phallos, penis, stare, to stand] , (in psychoanalysis) the period in psychosexual development occurring between 3 and 6 years of age, when emerging awareness and self-manipulation of the genitals are a predominant source of pleasurable experience. Fixation at this stage may lead to extreme aggressiveness in adulthood, or it may be a precipitating factor in the development of psychosexual disorders. The Oedipus complex and Electra complex develop at this stage. See also psychosexual development.
