Gender: psychodynamic approach Flashcards
when does freud suggest gender development occurs
in the phallic stage between ages 3-6
before this stage children have no concept of gender identity and no understanding of male or female
outline the phallic stage
focuses on pleasure of genitals
gender identity starts > you pay attention to others genitals and notice physical differences between males and females
main force behind gender developments is parental relationships
the mother is the first love object for boys and girls
this turns into lust for boys at age 3
boys have oedipus conflict
girls have electra conflict
outline oedipus conflict
boys develop a passionate desire for their mother and want to possess their mother for themselves
they see their father as their rival and are jealous of them and with their father is dead
they’re afraid their father will discover their desire for their mother and punish them by castrating them > castration anxiety
recognise their feathers is more powerful as he has a bigger penis
resolution: achieved through identification with the aggressor
they take on the gender identity of their father > internalisation
outline electra complex
girls develop a passionate desire for their father
double resentment mother: realise they don’t have a penis > believe they were castrated > blame their mother
mother is their love rival for the father
the long for a penis > penis envy
concept from Carl Jung: suggested that girls over time accepted that they would never have a penis and replace penis envy with their desire to have children
resolution: achieve through identification with the aggressor, they take on the gender identity of their mother > internalisation
AO3: research into oedipus complex
there is research to support
Fred suggests that for boys, “normal” development depends on identification with the father, suggesting being raised by at least one male parent
Rekers and Morey rate of the gender identity of 49 boys aged 3 to 11, based on interviews with their families and the children
those who were judged to be “gender disturbed” 75% had no father figure
suggest having no father has a negative impact on gender identity
counter: generally, the relationship between absent fathers and problems with gender identity is not supported
Bos and Sandfort found children raised by lesbian parents about less pressure to conform to gender stereotypes and were less likely to steal their gender was superior than children from traditional families, but there was no difference in gender identity
THEREFORE evidence to support the Oedipus complex is weak and minimal
AO3: socially sensitive
Freud relied on children, having two parents of different genders to manage the oedipus and Electra complex
He suggest being raised in a non nuclear family would have an adverse effect on child’s gender development.
weakness as it could have negative implications and negative stereotypes on other family types
counter: Golombok et al showed how children in single-parent households went on to develop a normal gender identity
THEREFORE the key assumptions of the theory are not supported
AO3: androcentric
theory is gender biased
The theory was developed using the case study of little Hans to explain male gender development > it was then applied to females through the electra complex by Carl Jung, not Freud
this is androcentric because behaviour is judged according to male norms and it underestimates the difference between male and female.
ADDITIONALLY feminist psychoanalyst believe the theories are outdated and rooted an old-fashioned 19th century views on women as the inferior sex
which is seen through penis envy
THEREFORE the theory can’t be applied to women
AO3: little Hans case study
Freud never met him and based his evidence on his fathers account.
He was a five-year-old boy with a morbid fear of being bitten by a horse > his phobia seemed to stem from when go saw a horse collapse and die in the street.
he suggested his fear was actually of his father, primarily castration by his father. this fear was then transferred onto horses through defence mechanism of displacement.
We are critical of supporting a case study as it cannot be generalised
AO3: pseudoscientific
approach uses case studies to understand gender development
issue as data is subjective and can be interpreted differently
unscientific because things like pe is envy are untestable due to being unconscious
we can’t empirically test it which means it’s un falsifiable
research into gender should be more holistic
