Freuds study of little hans

Question 1

What was the Aim?

Answer 1

To report the findings of the treatment of a five year old boy for his phobia of horses

Question 2

What type of study was it?

Answer 2

Case study

Question 3

Who was the study actually carried out by and how many times did Freud meet the boy?

Answer 3

The father and probably only once

Question 4

Why was info collected by the father often criticised?

Answer 4

Because he was a friend and supporter of Freud’s so validity was questioned

Question 5

How did Freud control the study?

Answer 5

The father reported to Freud via correspondence and Freud gave directions on how to deal with the situation based on the interpretations of the fathers reports

Question 6

What did Freud note?

Answer 6

That there was a special relationship between Hans and his father which allowed analysis to progress for the discussions with the boy to be so detailed and intimate

Question 7

How old was Hans when the first reports were made?

Answer 7

3

Question 8

What had he developed an interest in when he was 3?

Answer 8

his penis and also those of other people

Question 9

What did he ask his mum on one occasion?

Answer 9

‘Mummy, have you got a widler too?’

Question 10

What was the main theme of Han’s dreams and fantasies around the age of 3?

Answer 10

‘Widdlers’ and ‘Widdling’

Question 11

How old was he when his mum told him to stop playing with his widler else she would call the doctor to have it cut off?

Answer 11

3 years and 6 months

Question 12

What happened when Han’s was almost 5?

Answer 12

His father wrote to Freud explaining his concerns with Hans saying that
‘ He is afraid a horse will bite him in the street and this fear is somehow connected by him being frightened by a large penis’

Question 13

Whats happened as Hans’ phobias and anxiety’s continued?

Answer 13

He became afraid to leave the house because of his phobia of horses

Question 14

What was the dream that Han’s told his father?

Answer 14

‘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 ,Then it stopped calling out and i sat down on top of the crumpled one’

Question 15

How was the dream interpreted?

Answer 15

• As being a reworking of the morning workings in the parental bed
• He had climbed into the parents bed in the morning and the father had objected
• The long neck of the giraffe was the symbol for the adults large penis however Hans rejected the idea

Question 16

What happened when Hans went to see Freud?

Answer 16

• He was asked about the horses he had a phobia of
• Hans noted he didn’t like horses with the black bits around their mouths
• Freud believed the horse was a symbol for his father and the black bits were his moustashe
• Hans said after the interview ‘Daddy don’t trot away from me’

Question 17

What did Han’s become particularly frightened of when he witnessed something in the street?

Answer 17

Horses falling over

Question 18

An example of a leading question asked by his father and a reply by Hans?

Answer 18

• ‘When the horse fell down did you think of your daddy?

- ‘Yes it’s possible’

Question 19

What was the result?

Answer 19

Hans’ fear of horses began to decline and Freud believed that two final fantasies marked a change in Hans and lead to the resolution of his conflicts and anxiety’s

Question 20

How does the Oedipus complex apply?

Answer 20

Hans had described a fantasy were he was married to his mother and was playing with his own children and his father was now the grandfather

Question 21

What was the fantasy about the plumber?

Answer 21

The plumber came an removed his bottom and widler first and then gave him another one but this time larger

Question 22

How old was Hans when he appeared at Frauds consulting room?

Answer 22

He confirmed he had had no troubles during adolescence and that he was fit and well
-He could not remember the discussions with his father and said his case history came to him as something unknown

Question 23

What did Freud believe about the results?

Answer 23

That they supported his theory’s of child development and that Hans’ phobia was related to the Oedipus complex as the horse was a symbol for his father
-The blinkers on the horse was like his fathers glasses