Fixation

Rigid or inflexible type of behavior, sometimes thought to result from a crisis in early development. According to this theory, frustrations can temporarily or permanently arrest a child's psychological growth because he has not yet developed an understanding of the world about him.

These frustrations can result in fixations, with the adult showing character traits associated with the stage at which fixation occurred. If a child has difficulties with toilet training, for instance, he may become a compulsive or 'anal' personality in adult life, characterized by excessive cleanliness or meanness.