Latency stage is a term commonly used in psychoanalytic theory to describe the period of emotional turmoil between early childhood and adolescence. There are several alternative synonyms for the latent stage, including latency period or dormant phase, which both highlight the idea that this phase represents a temporary slowdown or pause in emotional development. Other synonyms include the intermediate period or suspension stage, which imply that this stage is a transitional period between two more emotionally active phases of development. Regardless of which synonym is used, the importance of the latency stage for overall emotional and psychological development is widely recognized by psychoanalytic scholars.