Freud - Individual differences area Flashcards
What did Freud believe was going on with Little Hans?
Freud believed that this was because things were going on in Hans’ unconscious mind of which he was unaware
How was little Hans referred to Freud?
- By his father
- A keen supporter of Freud’s work
How did Freud help Hans?
- Interpreting his behaviour
- Telling him why he was thinking and behaving as he was
- This was known as psychoanalysis
Why did Freud document the case of Little Hans?
To show his fears, dreams and fantasises were symbolic of his unconscious passing through the phallic stage of psychosexual development
What did Freud use the study to support?
- His ideas about the origins of phobia
- His theory of infantile sexuality
- Oedipux complex
- His belief in the effectiveness of psychoanalytic therapy
What were the two theories?-
- Theory of infantile sexuality
- Theory of Psychosexual Development
According to Freud’s theory, what does he believe about sexuality?
- Sexuality isn’t confined to physically mature adults
- It is evident from birth
- Different parts of the body are particularly sensitive at different time during childhood
How does this study link to the nature debate?
The sequence of the psychosexual stages is determined by maturation
How does this study link to the nurture debate?
How the child is treated by other/Phobias
What were the 5 stages of psychosexual development?
- Orage stage: 0 - 1
- Anal stage: 1 - 3
- Phallic stage: 3 - 5/6
- Latency stage: 5/6 - puberty
- Genital stage: puberty - maturity
When does the oedipus complex (boys) and the electra complex girls) form part of?
Phallic stage
What was the aim of the study?
- During the period when Hans’ father was recording observations, Hans developed an intense phobia of horses
- This provided Freud an opportunity to test his explanation of how pohobias develop
- He could use his method of treatment (psychoanalysis) and demonstrate its usefulness
What was the research method
- Case study
- Case study gathered detailed qual data on one individual - Hans- in relation to his fantasies, fears and phobias
What was this - Longitudinal or Snapshot
- Longitudinal
- Hans fears from when he was three yrs old until he was 5
Elements of a longitudinal study- Shows a development of behaviour
- Shows a development of behaviour
- Observations + conversations
- No set data/script
- Collects rich data over time
What did the longitudinal study allow Freud to link this studies evidence to?
Theory of psychosexual development
How was data gathered?
Gathered by Little Hans’ father regularly observing and questioning Hans
How did Freud receive and interpret the data?
- Hans’ father sent record of the events and conversation to Freud
- Freud interpreted the information and replied to Little Hans’ father with adivce on how to proceed
List 4 bullet points about the study’s sample
- Little Hans
- 5 yrs old at the time of the study
- Historical evidence started from when Little Hans was three
- Evidence was used by Freud to support his theory of psychosexual development
What sampling technique was used?
Opportuity sampling
Just before Hans was three, what did he show an interest in?
- His ‘widdler’
- The presence/absense of this organ in others - human and non-human
At this time, he tended to M - what did this result in?
- Threats from his mother to send for Dr. A to cut it off
- Castration anxiety
When Hans was 3.5 what happened?
Gained a new baby sister, Hanna
Why did Hans resent Hanna?
She was getting more attention
What did Hans subconsciously wish?
Wished for his mother to drop Hanna i the bath so she would drown
Why was Hans then afraid of baths?
- Displacement defence mechanism
- Indirect fear
Give two reasons why Hans developed a fear of being bitten by white horses
1) Overhearing a father say to a child, ‘Don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you’
2) Seeing a horse that was pulling a carriage fall and kick about with its legs
What was Hans’ fears then generalised to?
Carts and buses
Both before and after the development of his phobias (Baths and horses) what was Hans anxious about?
Anxious about his mother going away
What fantasies and daydreams did he have?
- Giraffe fantasy
- Two plumber fantasies
- Parenting fantasy
After receiving help from his father and Freud, after what fantasy did both the illnesses and analysis come to an end?
Parenting fantasy
What did Little Hans’ fear of horses represent?
- Subconscious (displaced) fear of his father
- Dark around mouth of a horse + blinkers resembled fathers moustache and glasses
- Fearful of father because he was experiencing the Oedipus complex
What did his fascinations with his ‘widdler’ represent?
Experiencing of the Oedipus complex
What did the Giraffe daydream/fantasy represent?
- Representation of him tryig to take his mother away from his father so he could have her to himself
- Another feature of the Oedipus complex
What did Hans’ fantasy of becoming a father represent?
Experiencing of the Oedipus complex
What did the plumber fantasies represent?
Hans now identifying with his father
What was the final family fantasy interpreted as?
The resolution of the Oedipus complex
What did the study of Hans provide support for?
- Theory of psychosexual development / infant sexuality
- Suggestion that boys in the phallic stage of PsychosexualD experience the OC
- The nature of phobias and his theory that they are the product of unconscious anxiety displaced onto harmless external objects
- Concept of unconscious determinism - people not consciously aware of the causes of their behaviour
- Psychoanalytic therapy - discussion and resolution
