Core study 13- Freud (ID) Flashcards
Background
What is the oedipus complex?
Associated with all young males
- boy develops unconscious sexual desire for mother
- envy and jealousy of father- leads to fantasies of getting rid of father to clasp mother’s attention
- boy develops castration anxiety (fear that father will cut off penis as a punishment)
- son begans to identify with father and adopts attitudes, tropes and values
- father becomes role model rather than rival- boy acquired ‘superego’ and male sex role (sexual desires for mother are substituted into sexual desires for other women)
Background
What is the iceberg analogy?
The belief that the human mind is like an iceburg- only a small amount is visable (this is our observable behaviour)
The unconscious mind has the most influence of our behaviour
Background
In what order do the ego, superego and id reside on the iceburg?
Ego at the top (conscious level and also preconscious level)
Superego in the middle (preconscious level)
Id at the bottom (unconscious level)
Background
What three parts does the human psyche possess?
- Ego
- Superego
- Id
Background
Where did Freud state that the majority of our personality comes from?
It comes from our unconscious mind- abnormal occurs as a result of an imbalance of the three parts
Background
What is the Id?
- The impulsive part of the personality
- Consists of the life instinct and the death instinct
- All impluses should be satisfied regardless of the consequence
- The pleasure principle demands immediate gratification
Like the ‘devil’ on your shoulder
Background
What is the Ego?
- Mediates between the irrationals, demands of the Id and real world
- Purpose= problem solving- to devise realistic solutions to the Id’s illogical demands
Like the balance between the ‘angel’ and the ‘devil’
Background
What is the Superego?
- Ego has no sense of right or wrong, so the superego develops
- Controls the Id’s demands through the conscience and ideal self, both of which may produce feelings of guilt, byt make us feel good about ourselves
Background
What is the unconscious mind?
Area of the mind that can’t be controlled or freely accessed- holds supressed thoughts and feelings
Id and Superego are part of unconscious mind
Unconscious mind is in constant conflict with conscious part (ego), leading to anxiety, which is dealt with by defence mechanisms
Background
How is each stage of psychosexual development characterised/ determined?
By fixation on a specific body part in a distinct pattern, and a distinct pattern of relationships to parents
As we age, pleasure comes from different parts of the body
Background
How does a person need to move through stages to achieve healthy adult development?
Individuals need to leave/ resolve one stage and move onto the next
Background
How does Freud think fixation (result of trauma in a specific stage) occurs in the 5 stages?
Occurs when a stage is incomplete or passed through successfully
The fixated individual will behave in ways that resemble their unsuccessful stage in early childhood
Background
What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development?
- Oral stage (0-1)
- Anal stage (1-3)
- Phallic stage (3-5)
- Latent stage (7-11)
- Genital stage (11+)
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=freud%27s%20psychosexual%20stages&mid=EAE24618A46EFBE91640EAE24618A46EFBE91640&ajaxhist=0
Background- stages of PS development
What are the typical characteristics of the oral stage, what part of the body does it focus on and what adult traits does it create if unsuccessful?
- Focuses on the mouth
- Breastfeeding/ bottle feeding (sucking) and putting objects in mouth
- Adult traits with fixation: addiction (vaping, smoking), manipulative behaviours
Background
What are the typical characteristics of the anal stage, what part of the body does it focus on and what adult traits does it create if unsuccessful?
- Focuses on the anus/ bladder
- Potty training, looks at bladder/ bowel movements
- Adult traits with fixation: overcontrol (anally retensive), messy, disorganised (anally explosive)
Background
What are the typical characteristics of the phallic stage, what part of the body does it focus on and what adult traits does it create if unsuccessful?
- Focuses on the penis
- Oedipus complex/ electra complex, penis fixation (girls envy them)
- Adult traits with fixation: complications with sexuality/ status within society
Background
What are the typical characteristics of the latent stage, what part of the body does it focus on and what adult traits does it create if unsuccessful?
- Focuses on the mind in terms of education
- Superego strenghtens, love of learning develops, new skills
- Adult traits with fixation: No issues, skills developed will be beneficial
Background
What are the typical characteristics of the genital stage, what part of the body does it focus on and what adult traits does it create if unsuccessful?
- Focuses on genitals and sex organs
- Resolution of conflict between Id, Ego and Superego
- Adult traits with fixation: Strong superego= compliance to obedience and shame and guilt, strong Id= rebellious, fearless (don’t care about consequences)
Case study- Little Hans
Why did Freud think Hans became ‘ill’ (developed a phobia)?
He thought things were going on in Hans’ unconscious mind- he was unaware of this
Case study- Little Hans
How did Freud help Hans, after being referred to him by his father?
He helped by interpreting his behaviour and told him why he was thinking and behaing the way he was
Case study- Little Hans
Why did Hans’ father refer him to Freud specifically?
Hans’ father was a big fan of Freud’s work
Case study- Little Hans
What did Freud say Hans’ fears, dreams and fantasies were symbolic of when documenting his case?
They were symbolic of his unconscious passing through the phallic stage of psychosexuals development
Aim
What was the aim of Freud’s study and what did he want to illustrate the existence of?
To give an account of a boy who suffered from a phobia of horses to illustrate the existence of the oedipus complex
Participant
Hans is the only participant in the study. What were his characteristics?
Religion, age, location
- Jewish boy
- From Vienna, Austria
- 5 years old at the start of the study
Participant
What phobia did Hans suffer from?
A phobia of horses
Method
What is a case study?
Gathers detailed data of either one individual or a very small group of people
Detailed data was gathered on Little Hans, in relation to his fantasies, fears and phobias
Method
What research method was used for this study of Little Hans?
Longitudinal case study
Method
How was data gathered?
Who gathered it and how did they gather it, who interpreted it?
Data was gathered by Little Hnas’ father by observing and questioing Hans
Freud interpreted information and replied with advice on how to proceed
Procedure
What did Hans show interest in just before turning 3?
Which stage of psychosexual development did this represent?
His ‘widdler’ (penis)
The phallic stage
Procedure
How did Hans develop castration anxiety?
His mother threatened to castrate him (cut off his penis) because of his tendancy to masturbate
Procedure
Where did Hans and his family live which may have influenced his fear of horses?
They lived opposite a very busy place which had lots of horse-drawn carriages
Procedure
What were the two incidents that led Hans to develop a fear of being bitten by white horses?
What was his fear generalised to?
- He overheard a father say to a child “Don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you.”
- Seeing a horse that wads pulling a carriage fall down and kick it’s legs in the air
Carts and buses
Procedure
What fantasies was Hans prone to both before and after the devlopment of the phobias?
- The giraffe fantasy
- The plumber fantasy
- The parenting fantasy
Procedure
What is the giraffe fantasy?
- Giraffes involved- 1 big and 1 crumpled
- Hans took crumpled giraffe away from big one- this made the big one call out
- Hans sat on the crumpled giraffe
Procedure
What is the plumber fantasy?
- The plumber took away Hans’ behind and ‘widdler’ with a pair of pliers
- He replaced them with bigger ones
Procedure
What is the parenting fantasy?
How does this relate to the oedipus complex?
- Hans is married to his mother, but Hans’ father is now the grandfather
He develops unconscious sexual desire for his mother
Results
What did Freud consider Hans’ fear of horses as?
A subconscious fear of his father:
* dark area aroiund horse’s mouth represents father’s moustache
* blinkers that the horse wore represent father’s glasses
Results
Why was Hans fearful of his father?
He was experiencing the oedipus complex
Results
Why was Hans so fascinated by his ‘widdler’?
He was experiencing the oedipus complex and phallic stage of psychosexual development
Results
What were the results from the giraffe fantasy?
It was a representation of him trying to take his mother away from his father so he could have her for himself
Results
What was the plumber fantasy a representation of?
How Hans now identified with his father and the final family fantasy- interpreted as the resolution of the oedipus complex
Results
What was the parenting fantasy a representation of?
Hans becoming a father with his mother showed further evidence of the oedipus complex
Conclusions
What was concluded about the nature of phobias through Freud’s work?
Phobias are a product of unconscious anxiety displaced onto harmless external objects
Conclusions
What did the study of Hans provide support for in terms of the oedipus complex?
Boys in the phallic stage of psychosexual development experience the oedipus complex
Conclusions
What was his concept of unconscious determinism?
People aren’t consciously aware of their behaviours and their causes
Evaluation
How could Freud’s study be argued as a strength?
- Methodology- longitudinal study
- Usefulness- stages of psychosexual development
Evaluation
How could Freud’s study be argued as a weakness?
- Generalisability- only 1 participant
- Demand characteristics- Hans’ father collected data
