Core Studies - Individual Differences Psychology - Freud’s Study

Question 1

What is Freud’s theory for the structure of the mind

Answer 1

• The mind is made up of the conscious mind, the pre-conscious mind and the unconscious mind
• The unconscious mind contains unresolved conflicts

Question 2

What is Freud’s theory for the structure of the personality

Answer 2

• The personality contains three elements: the ID, the EGO and the SUPEREGO
• The ID is the pleasure principle and is present from birth. It demands immediate gratification of biological needs with no consideration of what is appropriate in a given situation
• The EGO is the reality principle and maintains the balance between the ID and the SUPEREGO
• The SUPEREGO is the morality principle and is concerned with socially appropriate behaviour
• The ID and the SUPEREGO always have conflict

Question 3

What is the ID

Answer 3

The ID is the pleasure principle and is present from birth. It demands immediate gratification of biological needs with no consideration of what is appropriate in a given situation

Question 4

What is the EGO

Answer 4

The EGO is the reality principle and maintains the balance between the ID and the SUPEREGO

Question 5

What is the SUPEREGO

Answer 5

The SUPEREGO is the morality principle and is concerned with socially appropriate behaviour

Question 6

What is Freud’s theory for defence mechanisms

Answer 6

• Defence mechanisms are behaviours that occur due to unresolved conflicts
• There are 2 examples of defence mechanisms: repression and displacement
• Repression is the process involving pushing painful or disturbing thoughts into the unconscious in order to prevent or minimise anxiety
• Displacement is the process of taking out our impulses on a less threatening target

Question 7

What is repression

Answer 7

Repression is the process involving pushing painful or disturbing thoughts into the unconscious in order to prevent or minimise anxiety

Question 8

What is displacement

Answer 8

Displacement is the process of taking out our impulses on a less threatening target

Question 9

What is Freud’s theory for the psychosexual stages of development

Answer 9

• When a child’s personality forms through a series of stages in which the libido becomes fixated on something else
• In the phallic stage of psychosexual development, children’s libido is focused on the opposite sex parent
• In young boys the Oedipus complex occurs in which they have an unconscious desire for an exclusive relationship with their mother, have an unconscious fear of their father, and unconscious castration anxiety

Question 10

What is the Oedipus complex

Answer 10

In young boys the Oedipus complex occurs in which they have an unconscious desire for an exclusive relationship with their mother, have an unconscious fear of their father, and unconscious castration anxiety

Question 11

Aim

Answer 11

To report findings of the treatment of a five year old boy for his phobia of horses and to find evidence for Freud’s theories of psychosexual development and the Oedipus complex

Question 12

Sample

Answer 12

• A boy called Little Hans
• From Vienna, Austria
• Aged 3-5 years old

Question 13

Sampling method

Answer 13

• Opportunity sampling
• Making use of an existing relationship with Hans’ father

Question 14

Research method

Answer 14

Case study

Question 15

What are the features of a case study

Answer 15

1. Investigates a unique case of behaviour in one individual or small group
2. Collects rich insightful data which is often qualitative

Question 16

How can the features of a longitudinal study be seen in Freud’s research

Answer 16

1. Observations and conversations of one boy (Hans) were made from the age of 3-5
2. Freud was able to track how Hans progressed through the Oedipus complex over 2 years, his struggles and how he resolved it

Question 17

How can the features of a case study be seen in Freud’s research

Answer 17

1. Han’s unique phobia of white horses
2. Data was collected from numerous interviews and observations of Hans with his father, then sent to Freud via letters to be interpreted

Question 18

What are the 2 forms of bias in Freud’s research

Answer 18

1. Bias from Hans’ father
2. Bias from Freud

Question 19

How can the bias from the father be seen

Answer 19

Hans’ father is a supporter of Freud and his ideas so he would want to find evidence to help Freud prove his theory of psychosexual development

Question 20

How can the bias from Freud be seen

Answer 20

Freud wanted to find evidence for the phallic stage and the Oedipus complex so would interpret the letters by Hans’ father in a way which proves this

Question 21

Procedure

Answer 21

Many measurements of Hans’ behaviour were taken using observations and conversations that Hans’ father had with Hans. These were then communicated to Freud via letter in a qualitative form. Freud then interpreted this behaviour and tried to find evidence for how they illustrated Hans’ progression through the phallic stage and Oedipus complex.

Question 22

Main finding

Answer 22

• Little Hans’ fear of horses was considered by Freud as a subconscious fear of his father because the dark around the mouth of a horse and the blinkers resembled the moustache and glasses worn by his father.
• He was fearful of his father because he was going through the Oedipus complex

Question 23

Conclusions

Answer 23

1. Hans had an interest in widdlers and it seemed that Hans’ problem came from the conflict between the love of his mother and fright of his father . Hans’ fantasy of looking after children with his mother supported this as well and is symbolic of the ‘Oedipus wish’
2. Through his fantasies and symbolic fear of horse biting . Freud suggested that horses have characteristics which are symbolic of moustaches and glasses and Hans tried to displace his fear of his father onto the horses, therefore seems to show that the Oedipus complex exists

Question 24

What was the first conclusion

Answer 24

1. Hans had an interest in widdlers and it seemed that Hans’ problem came from the conflict between the love of his mother and fright of his father . Hans’ fantasy of looking after children with his mother supported this as well and is symbolic of the ‘Oedipus wish’

Question 25

What was the second conclusion

Answer 25

2. Through his fantasies and symbolic fear of horse biting . Freud suggested that horses have characteristics which are symbolic of moustaches and glasses and Hans tried to displace his fear of his father onto the horses, therefore seems to show that the Oedipus complex exists

Question 26

What were Hans’ 6 main behaviours

Answer 26

1. Hans’ fear of white horses
2. The giraffe dream
3. Hans’ fascination with his widdler
4. The plumber fantasy
5. Hans’ resentment of his little sister Hanna
6. The parenting fantasy

Question 27

What is a major problem with Freud’s argument

Answer 27

• Other explanations can be found for Little Hans’ phobia of white horses
• MAIN EXAMPLE: Hans was classically conditioned to fear horses as he had witnessed a horse fall and collapse which scared him. This then caused him to generalise / associate this fear to all horses

Question 28

Link to Key Theme

Answer 28

Freud enhances our understanding of how unique phobias develop and the meanings behind them. Freud suggests that this is developed by conflict within the unconscious mind as a result of the child going through the psychosexual stages of development

Question 29

Link to Area