7. psychodynamic explanations Flashcards
Freud’s theory suggests that gender development occurs during
which psychosexual stage and what does it mean?
the phallic stage (ages 3-6) and prior to reaching the phallic stage children have no concept of gender identity they do not categorise themselves or others as male or female.
In the phallic stage, the focus of pleasure for the child switches to
what and what is the conflict?
the genitals and children experience either the Oedipus or Electra complexes, which are crucial in forming a gender identity.
explain the oedipus complex - why is it caused, what does it lead to and how it is resolved
Boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and harbour a jealous, murderous hatred for their father who stands in the boy’s way of obtaining the mother.
The boy also recognises that his father is stronger than him and fears he may be castrated by his father for feelings towards his mother, leading to castration anxiety.
To resolve the conflict, the boy gives up his love for the mother and identifies with his father.
explain the electra complex - why is it caused, what does it lead to and how it is resolved
this concept is mainly from Jung, who suggested what?
Freud suggested that girls experience penis envy during the phallic stage and see themselves as being in competition with their mother for their father’s love. Girls develop a double resentment towards their mother firstly because she is a rival standing in in the way of the father and secondly because they blame their mother for having no penis as the daughter believes her mother castrated her.
The concept of the Electra complex comes from Jung who suggested that girls, over time learn to accept that they will never have a penis and substitute penis envy for a desire to have children, identifying with the mother as a result.
Hans was a five-year-old with a morbid fear of being bitten by a horse. His fear appeared to stem from an incident when he had seen a horse collapse and die in the street. However, Freud’s interpretation was
that Hans’s fear of becoming bitten represented his fear of castration (by his father due to Hans’s love for his mother). Freud suggested that has had transferred his fear onto horses through displacement as the horse’s appearance resembled his father’s.
Freud used the case of little Hans to support the existence of the Oedipus complex.
identification and internalisation
how do they help children acquire a gender identity?
Children of both sexes identify with the same gender parent as a means of resolving the conflict. Boys adopt the attitudes and values of the father and girls adopt those of the mother. This involves children taking on board the gender identity of the same gender parent, a process Freud called internalisation. Both boys and girls receive a second-hand gender identity all at once at the end of the phallic stage.
AO3: strength of psychodynamic explanation
SUPPORT FOR THE OEDIPUS COMPLEX - Rekers and Morey
There is some support for the role of the Oedipus complex in gender development.
Freud’s explanation of gender development means for boys, normal development depends on being raised by at least one male parent. Rekers and Morey rated the gender identity of 49 boys aged 3-11 based on interviews with their families. Of those who were judged to be gender distributed, 75% had neither their biological father nor a substitute father living with them.
This suggests that being raised with no father may have a negative impact on gender identity, supporting what Freud’s theory predicts.
AO3: limitation of of psychodynamic explanation
FEMALE DEVELOPMENT - Horney
Freud has an inadequate account of female development.
Although Freud wrote extensively about the Oedipus complex, much of the theorising on girl’s development was undertaken by Jung. Freud admitted that women were a mystery to him, and his notion of penis envy has been criticised as reflecting the androcentric Victorian era during which he lived, where men held so much power. Horney argues that womb envy - men’s reaction to women’s ability to sustain and nurture life is a more powerful emotion than penis envy. This, like penis envy was a result of cultural factors rather than biological.
This challenges the idea that women’s gender development is founded on a desire to be like a man, showing androcentric bias.
AO3: limitation of of psychodynamic explanation
PSEUDOSCIENTIFIC (think Popper & falsifiability)
The psychodynamic explanation lacks scientific credibility.
Freud has often been criticised for the lack of rigour in his methods (using subjective case studies). Many of his concepts such as penis envy are untestable because they are largely unconscious. This contrasts sharply with other explanations of gender that are based on objective, verifiable evidence derived from controlled lab studies. The fact that Freud’s key ideas not being able to be falsified (proved wrong through scientific testing) makes his theory pseudoscientific (not genuine science).
This questions the validity of Freud’s theory as it is not based on sound scientific evidence.
