ABSTRACT
Middle childhood (from 6-9 years of age) should reflect the entry into the latency phase of psychosexual development in which the growing infrastructure of the personality (id, ego, superego) decreases the child's reliance on the structure of the external world and conflict between the child and the environment decreases and becomes more internalized. Those children who fail to enter latency often fail to meet the developmental challenges of elementary school. Their disruptive behavior may be the presenting problem, reflecting an underlying developmental disturbance. Similar to the disruptive behavior disorders, the anxiety disorders emerge throughout development. For example, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may present in middle childhood, as may Tourette's Disorder. Additionally, the so-called internalized disorders or neurotic disorders, involving symptoms of anxiety and depression that result from intense intrapsychic conflict, may first appear during this period in development.
