Freud

Question 1

What was the aim?

Answer 1

• An opportunity for Freud to develop his theory of infantile sexuality and the Oedipus complex (originally tested upon adults)
• Could investigate his explanation of the genesis of phobias

Question 2

What was the sample?

Answer 2

• He urged his pupils & friends to collect observations of the sexual life of children
• Hans, 3 years old, Vienna, Austria

Question 3

What were the research methods?

Answer 3

• Case study
• Longitudinal
• Observations conducted by Hans’ father
• Weekly written reports/letters sent to Freud about
  conversations he had with Hans
• Freud would write back, interpret dreams and fantasies

Question 4

What happened in the ‘Widdler’ dream?

Answer 4

• had a lively interest in his ‘widdler’, 3 1/2 years old, mother threatened him, ‘if you do that, I shall send for Dr A to cut off your widdler’, when his firist anxieties began (castration anxiety).

Question 5

What happened in the Giraffe dream?

Answer 5

• ‘In the night there was a big giraffe in the room and a crumpled one’
• ‘The big one called out because I took the crumpled one away from it’

Question 6

What happened with the horse phobia?

Answer 6

• In Jan 1908, suddenly developed a fear of being bitten by horses ‘don’t put your finger to the white horse or it’ll bite you’
• Hans disturbed by what horses wear in front of their eyes and by the black around their mouths (fear of father- blinker -> glasses, muzzle -> moustache)
• Also afraid of carts, furniture, buses -> afraid that they would fall over, had been out with his mother and saw horse fall down and kick out with feet.
• Hans wished his father would fall down

Question 7

What happened with the defecation fear?

Answer 7

• Hans became preoccupied with ‘lumf’ (faeces). Often been in toilet with mother when she ‘widdled’ and ‘lumfed’. Fascination could come from early on in development when he was severely constipated.
• Fear of defecation coming from fear of heavily loaded carts.
• Also grappling with ‘where do babies come from?’ ‘Lumf’=birth of a baby. Children were lumfs. Lodi invented for child
• Loaded cart represents fear of father, also mother during childbirth - phobia could trace back to birth of his baby sister

Question 8

What happened in the 1st plumber fantasy?

Answer 8

• ‘I was in the bath ad then the plumber came and unscrewed it. Then he took a big borer and stuck it into my stomach’ - afraid mother would let him go and his head would go underwater.
• ‘You’ve been naughty and thought she didn’t love you anymore’, ‘when you were watching mummy give Hanna her bath, you wish she would let her go and she falls in’

Question 9

What happened in the 2nd plumber fantasy?

Answer 9

• ‘Plumber came: at first he took away my behind with a pair of pincers and then gave me another and then the same with my widdler’ ‘bigger?’ ‘and I’d like to have a moustache and hair like you’
• Plumber (doctor) took away penis -> happy outcome as was exchanged for larger version