GENDER: PSYCHODYNAMIC EXPLANTION OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT Flashcards
What does freuds gender development theory see children pass through
5 bioloigcally driven psychosexual stages
freuds gender development theroy sees kids pass thorugh 5 bioloigcally driven psychosexual stages what do they begin and end with
begin w oral stage
end with genital stage around the time of puberty
whats i teh 3rd of the psychosexual stages
phallic stage
whats ssignificant about the phallic stage and what age does it occur between
gender develpometn occurs here
between ages of 3-6
prior to reaching the phallic stage what do children not have
have no conept of gender idenity
why do kids not categorise themselve sor otehr in male/female
because they have no understanding of male and female
in the phallic stage the focus of pleasure switches to
the genitals
in the phallic stage what do kids expereince
oedipus complex - boys
electra complex - girls
describe the oedipus complex and the electra complex in relation to the formation of gender identity
these stages are crucial in the formation of gender identity
what is the oedipus complex
when in the phallic stage boys develop incestous feelings towards their mother
in the oedipus complex how do biys feel towards there father and why
harbour a jealous and murderous hatred towards their farther
as stand in the way of boy possessing his mother
within the oedipus complex why does the boy feel castration anxiety
amidst hating his father
he recognises his father is more powerful than he is
and fears he may be castrated by his father for his feelings towards his mother
to resolve the conflict within the oedipus complex what does the boy do
2 marks
boy gives up his love for his mother
begins to identify with his father
in the phallic stage wjat complex do girls have
electra complex
in the phallic stage Freud suggested girsl experience …
penis envy
why do girls expereince penis envy in the phallic stage
see themselves and mum being in competition for their father’s love
what type of resentment do girls develop towards their mother
double resentment
explain why girls develop a double resentment
2 marks
first: mother is a love rival standing in the way of the father
second : mother is blamed by her daughter for having no penis
why is the daughter angry she has no penis
the daughter believes she was castrated by her mother at the same time as the mother castrated herself
who didi the concept of electra complex come from
carl jung
what did carl jung suggest about the electra complex
3mks
Girls OT come to accept they will never have a penis
and sub penis envy with the desire to hve kdis
therfore identifying woth the mother as a result
crux is
descisive or most important issue
what is the crux of Freud’s theory
2 marks
kids of both sexes identify (identification) with the same gender parent
as a means of resolving their complexes
what do boys and girls adopt
attitudes and values of their same gender parents
kids adopting the attitudes and values of their same gender parent’s invovles ……
kdis taking on board the gender identity of their same gender parent
what is internalisation (as freud referred to this definition as)
when kids take on board the gender identity of their same gender parent
essentially what do boys and girls receive at the end of the phallic stage
2 marks
a second hand gender identity
all at once
freud evidence for the oedipus complex was limited but how was he able to illustrate the concept
through …..
case of little hans
describe who hans was and what he had a morbid fear
5 year old boy with morbid fear of being bittenby a horse
where did hans fear stem from
incident when he’d seen a horse collapse and die in the street
what was freud’s interpretation of hans fear of being bitten
represented his fear of castration
(by his father becuase of hans love for his mother)
what did freud suggest about hans fear
hans had transferred his fear onto the horses via unconsious defence mechanism of displacement
what was hans especially afraid of
horses with black bits around their mouths
LIMITATION - lacks scientific rigour
P: One limitation of the research used to support freuds psychoanalytic theory is that it lacks scientific rigour
E: The Oedipus complex occurs at an unconscious level, it is difficult if not impossible to test
E: This contrasts sharply with objective studies such as smith and Lloyd’s controlled observation of gender-appropriate behaviour
L: As a result, freuds psychodynamic theory does not meet the scientific criterion of falsifiability, this affords it the status of pseudo-science rather than a real science
LIMITATION - opposing research
P: There is opposing research to freuds psychoanalytical theory of gender from non nuclear families
E: Freud’s theory relies on kids having two parents of diff genders so that they are able to manage the Electra or Oedipus complex effectively
E: However, research has shown that children raised in single-parent families go on to develop normal gender identities, as well as children raised by same sex parents
L: The psychoanalytic theory therefore provides an incomplete explanation of gender as it would assume there would be problems with identification and internalisation
STRENGHT - supportin gresearch
Friedman Found that when a story began with a child doing something nice with their opposite-sex parent and then being joined by the same-sex parent, children produced a sadder end to the story than…
- When a story began with a child doing something nice with their same-sex parent and then being joined by the opposite-sex parent.
- Supports the idea that both sexes have more attraction to the opposite-sex parent and more hostility towards the same-sex parent,
supporting the complex theories.
