Freud 1909 - Little Hans

Question 1

Who was Freud?

Answer 1

A psychoanalyst from Vienna

Question 2

What were Freud’s beliefs?

Answer 2

That mental disturbances such as phobias were caused by things which resided in the unconscious mind due to childhood conflict and traumas

Question 3

What were some of Freud’s techniques?

Answer 3

• hypnosis
• dream analysis
• free association

Question 4

What is hypnosis?

Answer 4

A mental state of highly focused concentration

Question 5

What is dream analysis?

Answer 5

A technique which interprets the content of dreams to reveal underlying motivations or symbolic meanings and representations

Question 6

What is free association?

Answer 6

A process of discovering your genuine thoughts, memories, and feelings by freely sharing all the seemingly random thoughts that pass through your mind

Question 7

How did Freud get into contact with Little Hans?

Answer 7

His father was a huge supporter of Freud and wrote to him regarding his son (Little Hans) phobia of horses

Question 8

What was the phobia of Little Hans?

Answer 8

Horses
- A white horse with blinkers around its eyes and black bits around the mouth

Question 9

What is the sample of this study?

Answer 9

One boy (Little Hans) was was from Vienna and was studied for 2 years from ages 3-5

Question 10

What are strengths of this sample?

Answer 10

Due to it being so small it allows lots of in-depth details therefore making results valid

Question 11

What are weaknesses of the sample in this study?

Answer 11

It lacks population validity

Question 12

What is the method in this study?

Answer 12

A longitudinal case study

Question 13

What are the strengths of this method?

Answer 13

Gathers lots of qualitative data therefore any data collected is more valid

Question 14

What are the weaknesses of this method?

Answer 14

Not representative as Little Hans is from a western culture it cannot be generalised to other cultures

Question 15

What was the procedure in this study?

Answer 15

• Little Hans’ father asked questions about his phobia of horses
• Little Hans’ was observed by his father

Question 16

How did Freud get this information collected by the father?

Answer 16

The father wrote his findings into letter for Freud

Question 17

What were some dreams and fantasies recalled about?

Answer 17

• Giraffes
• grandparenting
• plumbers

Question 18

What was the grandparenting fantasy about?

Answer 18

Where he and his mother had several children with his mother and his father was ‘granddaddy’

Question 19

What was the giraffe fantasy about?

Answer 19

Little Hans recalled a giraffe dream where “In the night there was a big giraffe in the room and crumple one; and the big one called out because I took the crumpled one away from it. Then it stopped calling out and I sat on it”

Question 20

What were the strengths of the procedure?

Answer 20

As his father was collecting the results they are more likely to be ecologically valid alongside this there is a reduced chance of demand characteristics

Question 21

What were weaknesses of the procedure?

Answer 21

As a fan of Freud Little Hans’ father was more likely to sway the child to favour Freuds theories by asking leading questions

Question 22

What were some results of this study?

Answer 22

• he had a fear of castration
• he had unconscious sexual desires for his mother
• the horse of his phobia was a representation of his father
• He felt in competition with his father

Question 23

How did the horse symbolise his father?

Answer 23

• The black blinkers = his fathers glasses
• Black bits around the mouth = moustache

Question 24

What are weaknesses of the findings in this study?

Answer 24

The explanation is very reductionist and suggests phobias are pre-determined in the unconscious mind

Question 25

What was the conclusion of this study?

Answer 25

• The boy has unconscious sexual desires for his mother due to having a Oedipus complex
• Had castration anxiety due to his father