Freud

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To establish Oedipus Complex as explanation for phobia & how psychoanalysis can be used as treatment

Question 2

Sample

Answer 2

• One 5 year old boy - Hans

Question 3

Data Collection

Answer 3

• Observation” play & interaction w family
• Self-report: Hans describing fears, dreams & fantasies
• Recordings: letters from dad describing Hans’ behaviour & F replies w observations

Question 4

Bath

Answer 4

Observations:
- fear of having a bath
- fear of being drowned in bath

Explanations:
- unconscious fear mum loved sis more ~ not hold him as tight in bath ~ drowns
- Freud: projection of unconscious wish that mum drowns baby sister

Question 5

White Horses

Answer 5

Observations:
- afraid horses will bite him in street
- ✕ leave house, panic attacks
- Dad: ‘seems to be connected to their large penis.’

Explanations:
- symbolises fear of dad
- sexual desire for mum = father jealous ~ fear of castration
- blinkers = dad’s glasses & whiskers = moustache

Question 6

Giraffe

Answer 6

Observations:
- left big giraffe alone
- sat on crumpled giraffe

Explanations:
- big = dad, crumpled = mum, little = Hans
- sexual desire for mum, jealous of dad, Oedipus Complex (OC)
- long neck = big penis

Question 7

Plumber

Answer 7

Observations:
- ‘widdler’ chopped off by plumber & replaced w bigger one/bigger behind

Explanations:
- wanting to be like his dad
- Oedipus Complex - OC

Question 8

Parenting

Answer 8

Observations:
- married to mum
- dad = grandfather

Explanations:
- evidence for OC [desire to replace dad in mum’s affections]
- start of resolution of OC ; accepted fact that dad must be part of family

Question 9

Conclusions

Answer 9

• phobia of horses ; castration anxiety/OC
• interpreting dreams & fantasies helped express this conflict
• fear resolved when OC resolved
• F used this case to support his theories of psychosexual development & infantile sexuality
• F used Hans to prove Oedipus complex

Question 10

Validity

Answer 10

• Low internal: subjective ; Hans dad = F’s fan ~ biased observations to fit F’s theories
• Researcher bias: F just wants to prove own theory

Question 11

Reliability

Answer 11

• Low: can’t be replicated, only studying abnormal behaviour in one individual, not same for anyone else
• self report ~ biased observations ~ unreliable

Question 12

Research Method

Answer 12

Longitudinal Case Study

✓ detailed data
✕ biased, can’t generalise/analyse & not concrete data

Question 13

Type of data

Answer 13

Qualitative: dreams/phobias

Question 14

Sampling bias/Ethnocentrism

Answer 14

• one 5yo boy w unusual behaviours, eg. Phobia horses - can’t generalise
• based on 1 Australian child - not representative

Question 15

Ethics

Answer 15

• ✕ *Confidential:** Hans ~ socially sensitive, his dreams/sexual desires broadcasted
• IC: only parental consent
• ✕ RTW: Hans couldn’t

Question 16

Practical applications

Answer 16

• Psychoanalysis: talking about fears/anxieties helped him overcome them
• proves importance of childhood