In the classic sitcom The Odd Couple, it was amazing that Oscar and Felix got along because Oscar was such a slob and Felix was so obsessively neat. From a Freudian perspective, what could be said about the way these two men made it through the anal stage of development?
A) Oscar was anally fixated, but Felix was not.
B) Oscar and Felix were both anally fixated, but in different ways.
C) Neither Oscar nor Felix were anally fixated. They just had different personalities.
D) Felix was anally fixated, but Oscar was not.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Freud, the anal stage of development occurs around 18 months to 3 years old and is focused on toilet training. The child learns to control their bowel movements and begins to associate pleasure with retaining or releasing feces. If this stage is not successfully completed, the child can become fixated and develop behaviors related to either being obsessed with cleanliness or being messy and unorganized. In the case of Oscar and Felix, Oscar's sloppiness could indicate an anal fixation related to being messy and disorganized, while Felix's obsessive neatness could indicate a fixation related to cleanliness and orderliness. Therefore, both men could be said to be anally fixated, but in different ways.

In the Classic Sitcom the Odd Couple, It Was Amazing