freud (1909)- little hans

Question 1

research method

Answer 1

longditudinal study
A case study gathers detailed data of either a single individual or a very small group of individuals, an institution or an event. Here, in-depth,
detailed data was gathered on one individual – Little Hans – in relation to his fantasies, fears and phobias.
• The study is considered longitudinal as it documents developments in Hans’ fears from when he was three years old until he was five. This
allowed Freud to link the evidence gathered to his developmental theory of sexuality.
• Data was gathered by Little Han’s father (a firm believer of Freud’s ideas) regularly observing and questioning Hans. He then sent records of the
events and conversations to Freud who interpreted the information and replied to Little Hans’ father with advice on how to proceed.

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

little hans 5 year old

Question 3

outline procedure

Answer 3

Just before he was three, Hans started to show a lively interest in his ‘widdler’ and the presence/absence of this organ in others – human and
non-human.
• At this time he had a tendency to masturbate, bringing threats from his mother to send for Dr A. to cut it off.
• When he was three and a half, Hans gained a baby sister, Hanna, whom he resented and subsequently, subconsciously, wished his mother
would drop in the bath so she would drown.
• Later Hans developed a fear of being bitten by white horses. This seemed to be linked to two incidents:
(i) Overhearing a father say to a child, “Don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you.”
(ii) Seeing a horse that was pulling a carriage fall down and kick about with its legs.
• His fear was then generalised to carts and buses.
• Both before and after the development of the phobias (of the bath and horses), Hans was both anxious his mother would go away and prone to
fantasies and daydreams. These included:
- The giraffe fantasy.
- Two plumber fantasies.
- The parenting fantasy.
• Having received ‘help’ from his father and Freud, after the parenting fantasy, both the ‘illness’ and analysis came to an end

Question 4

conclusions

Answer 4

Freud concluded that his study of Hans provided support for:
(i) His theory of psychosexual development / infant sexuality.
(ii) His suggestion that boys in the phallic stage of psychosexual development experience the Oedipus complex.
(iii) The nature of phobias and his theory that they are the product of unconscious anxiety displaced onto harmless external objects.
(iv) His concept of unconscious determinism which holds that people are not consciously aware of the causes of their behaviour.
(v) His use of psychoanalytic therapy to treat disturbed thoughts, feelings and behaviours by firstly identifying the unconscious cause(s) of the
disturbance and them bringing them into the conscious so they can be discussed and resolved