Final answer:
According to Freud, children adopt characteristics and behaviors of the opposite-sex parent through identification, which is part of Freud's theory of psychosexual development.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Freud, children acquire the characteristics and behaviors of their opposite-sex parent through a process of identification. This forms part of Freud's theory of psychosexual development, specifically during the phallic stage, when a child's erogenous zone is the genitals and they begin to show desire for the opposite-sex parent and jealousy and hatred towards the same-sex parent. Boys experience the Oedipus complex, desiring their mothers and feeling rivalry towards their fathers, which is eventually resolved through identification with the father, adopting his characteristics.