The anal stage is the second stage in Sigmund Freud's psychosexual development theory. Freud believed the personality developed through several stages during childhood. These stages focused on the erogenous zones. The anal stage occurs between ages 18 months to three years. This is the period when a child toilet trains. According to Freud, pleasure is derived from controlling the anus (the primary erogenous zone) and the bladder. A toilet training conflict or fixation results in a rigid or disordered personality. 