Gender- Psychodynamic explanation

Question 1

When does freud argue gender devolpment occurs?

Answer 1

During the phallic stage - at some point in the ages 3-6

Question 2

Prior to the phallic stage do children have any concept of gender identity?

Answer 2

No

Question 3

What does freud describe pre-phallic children as?

Answer 3

Bisexual- they are neither masculine or femminine

Question 4

Who same up with the electra complex?

Answer 4

Carl Jung

Question 5

Explain what happens during the electra complex

Answer 5

-Conflict between mother and daughter as they are in competition for the father
Penis envy-Girl initially atrracted to mother but this ends when she realises she does not have a penis, she blames her mother for this (she belives she has been castrated)
-Sexual desires are displaced to the father
-Reduced anger to mother as penis envy is converted to wanting a baby

Question 6

Explain how the electra complex leads to gender devolpment

Answer 6

-By the end the girl can identify with the mother as they are the same gender and so can take on gendered behaviours

Question 7

Explain what happens during the oedipus complex

Answer 7

-Boysdesire their mother
-at 3/4 a boy becomes aware of his sexuality
-Boys see their father as a rival for mothers love so wishs father dead
-This creates fear of/castration anxiety when are then repressed
-Complex is resolved when boy starts to identify with father, boy internalises fathers gnder identity and takes this as his own

Question 8

Explain how the oedipus complex leads to gender devolpment

Answer 8

-Gender identification leads to masculine behaviours as young boys are a result of their fathers attitudes + expectations

Question 9

Summarise how the PE argues gneder devolps

Answer 9

1.Conflicts resolved by identification
2.Child adopts attitudes + values of same sex parents
3.Adoption is the process of internalisation

Question 10

Give an evaluation point (gender bias)

Answer 10

-Androcentric- male centred/ perspective
-Freud only devolped the oedipus complex penis envy
-The electra complex what devolped by Jung in 1913 (8 years laterr) so was clearly and after thought
-Freud also argued that the end resolution of the electra complex is less satisfactory as it is less strong due to women havinga lower status in society so nobody would want to idenify with them
-Beta bias also presnt- gender differences are minimised
-Assumes that both male and females devolp in the same way (biologically) which is wrong as they have individual differences

Question 11

Give an evaluation point (temporal validity)

Answer 11

-Freud devolped the theory in 1905 when family types other than the nuclear family such as homosexual couples with children were not socially accepted/ existed
-Does not take into account that children from other family types devolp gender identity normally
-Outdated and irrelevant

Question 12

Give an evaluation point (methodological issues)

Answer 12

-Used case studies (little hans)
-Not generealisable due to individual differences
-Unrepresentitive
-Not falsifiable or sceientific as behaviour is a result of the unconcious which cannot be studied

Question 13

Give an evaluation point (Kholberg comparison)

Answer 13

Differences:
-Freud suggets that gender devolpment occurs all at once during the phallic stage when conflicts (oedipus + electra complexes) are resolved during the ages of 3-6
-Whereas kholberg argues that it occurs over a longer period of time across 3 stages (identity, stability, constancy) due to intellectual and cognitive devolpment
Similarity:
-Both argue that we go through gender identity but in different ways
Kholberg= a child can identify theirown gender and others from their appearence
Freud= identifying with same sex parent