Freud Flashcards
What was the background behind Freud’s study?
- Hans was described as a cheerful and straightforward child, but when he became ‘ill’ (phobia) it was obvious that there were was a difference between what he said and what he thought.
- Freud thought this was because things were going on in Hans’ unconscious mind of which he was unaware
- Little Hans was referred to Freud by his father, a supporter of Freud’s work
- Freud decided to help Hans by interpreting his behaviour and telling him why he was thinking and behaving as he was. (Psychoanalysis)
- Freud used this study to support his ideas about the origins of phobias, his theory of infantile sexuality and the Oedipus complex, and his belief in the effectiveness of psychoanalytic therapy
What theories was Freud’s study based on?
- Theory of Infantile sexuality/Theory of Psychosexual development
- The sequence of the psychosexual stages is determined by maturation (nature) and how the child is treated by others (nurture)
- Freud’s stages of psychosexual development are:
(1) oral stage: 0-1 years
(2) anal stage: 1-3 years
(3) phallic stage: 3-5/6years
(4) latency stage: 5/6 - puberty
(5) genital stage: puberty - maturity
• The Oedipus complex for boys and the Electra complex for girls forms part of the phallic stage
What was the research method?
- longitudinal (documents developments in Hans’ fear from when he was three until he was five)
- case study (gathers detailed data of either a single individual or a very small group of individuals, an institution or event)
- Data was gathered on one individual, Little Hans, in relation to his fantasies, fears and phobias
Describe the sample in Freud’s study
- Little Hans was five years old at the time of the study (phallic stage)
- Historical evidence starting from when Hans was three yrs old is used by Freud to support his theory of psychosexual development and the oedipus complex
- Upper-class, Austria
What type of sampling method was used?
Opportunity sampling - Little Hans was referred to Freud by his father, early supporter of Freud
Outline the procedure in Freud’s study (AGE 3)
1) Just before Hans was 3, Hans started to show a lively interest in his ‘widdler’ and the presence/absence of this organ in others - human/non-human
2) At this time, he tended to masturbate, bringing threats from his mother to send for Dr.A to cut it off
3) When he was 3 and 1/2, Hans got a baby sister, Hanna, whom he resented (lack of attention) and therefore, subconsciously, wished his mother would drop Hanna in the bath so she would drown (Displacement - Defence mechanism)
Outline the procedure of Freud’s study (AGE 3.5+/5)
(4) Later Hans develops a fear of being bitten by white horses. This seemed to be linked to two incidents
- Overhearing a father say to a child ‘Don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you’
- Seeing a horse that was pulling a carriage fall and kick about with its legs
(5) His fear was then generalised to carts and buses
(6) Both before and after the development of the phobias (bath and horses), Hans was both anxious his mother would go away and prone to fantasies and daydreams. Included:
- The giraffe fantasy
- Two plumber fantasies
- The parenting fantasy
(7) Having received ‘help’ from his father and Freud, after the parenting fantasy, both the ‘illnesses’ and analysis came to an end.
What were the findings of Freud’s study?
• Little Hans’ fear of horses was considered by Freud as a subconscious fear (displaced) of his father.
- This was because the dark around the mouth of a horse + the blinkers resembled the moustache and glasses worn by his father.
- He was fearful of his father because he was experiencing the Oedipus complex.
- Hans’ fascination with his widdler was because he was experiencing the Oedipus complex
- Hans’ daydream about giraffes (sits on crumpled giraffe) was a representation of him trying to take his mother away from his father so he could have her all to himself + another feature of the Oedipus complex
- Hans’ fantasy of becoming a father again linked to him experiencing the Oedipus complex
- Hans’ fantasy about the plumber was interpreted as him now identifying with his father and
- The final family fantasy was interpreted as the resolution of the Oedipus complex.
Give the possible conclusions from freud’s study
Freud concluded that his study of Hans provided support for:
1) His theory of psychosexual development / infant sexuality
2) His suggestion that boys In the phallic stage of psychosexual development experience the oedipus complex
3) The nature of phobias and his theory that they are the product of unconscious anxiety displaced onto harmless external objects
4) His concept of unconscious determinism which holds that people are not consciously aware of the causes of their behaviour
5) His use of psychoanalytic therapy to treat disturbed thoughts, feelings and behaviours by firstly identifying the unconscious cause(s) of the disturbance and them bring them into the conscious so they can be discussed and resolved.
Define what a psychological dysfunction is
A psychological dysfunction in an individual that is associated with distress or impairment and a reaction that is not culturally expected.
What is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that helps people overcome things, activities, or situations that cause fear or anxiety
Where does Freud believe abnormality originates from?
Freud believed that abnormality came from the psychological causes rather than physical causes, that unresolved conflicts between the id, ego, and superego can all contribute to abnormality. For example:
Weak ego: if the ego is weakened then either the id or the superego, whichever stronger, may dominate the personality
Unchecked id impulses: if id impulses are unchecked they may be expressed in self-destructive and immoral behaviour. This may lead to disorders such as conduct disorders In childhood and psychopathic behaviour in adulthood.
Too powerful superego: Super ego that is too powerful (inflexible moral values) will restrict the id to such an extent that the person will be deprived of socially acceptable pleasures.
- According to Freud, this would create neurosis, which would be expressed in the symptoms of anxiety disorders, such as phobias and obsessions.
What is the Iceberg analogy?
The preconscious consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind.
The conscious mind contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. This also includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily and brought into awareness.
The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness. The unconscious contains contents that are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict.
Freud likened the three levels of mind to an iceberg. The top of the iceberg that you can see above the water represents the conscious mind. The part of the iceberg that is submerged below the water, but is still visible, is the preconscious. The bulk of the iceberg that lies unseen beneath the waterline represents the unconscious.
