individual differences ( freud) Flashcards
oral stage
the child derives satisfaction from sucking at the mother’s breast or other substitutes (e.g. a dummy/their thumb)
The anal stage
The child receives pleasure from the anus and from holding back their stool until it builds up and brings about violent muscular contractions
phallic stage
where children become aware of their genitals and differences between boys and girls (i.e. in their genitals).
This is between 3 and 5 years.
Oedipus Complex.
children develop a sexual desire for their opposite sex parent and are fearful of their same sex parent (who they see as a rival that they want to get rid of).
Castration anxiety
A boy’s fear that his penis will be chopped off as punishment for his unconscious desires for his mother
Phobia
An intense fear of an object, activity or situation which is out of proportion to the danger presented and causes an impairment in functioning
Psychoanalysis
Type of therapy involving talking to the patient and analysing their thoughts and dreams to bring the unconscious conflicts into the open
aim
To investigate the case of Little Hans, a young boy who was experiencing a phobia, and to provide evidence to support his theory of psychosexual development.
what type of study was little Hans
a longitudinal case study, as it only involved one participant who was studied in detail, and it took place over approximately 3 years.
who was little Hans
Hans’ parents were supporters of Freud as his mother had previously been one of Freud’s patients.
Hans was not quite 3 when the study began, and the reports on Hans lasted from around 1906 until 1908. He was from Vienna, Austria.
procedure
Hans’ father recorded details of Hans’ behaviours and conversations, and made his own interpretations. He would then send these in a weekly letter to Freud
Freud replied with his own interpretations of the behaviours and conversations, and would give guidance on what Hans’ father should be discussing with Hans, and which behaviours to look out for.
findings phobias
His phobia of horses and being bitten by a horse
His fear of cart horses falling over
His fear of the bath
findings dreams and fantasies
Attempts to ‘seduce’ his mother
The giraffe fantasy
The plumber fantasies
Playing with his imaginary children
evidence for Hans having an oedipus complex
This is shown through his attempts to seduce his mother.
Aged 4 ½ after being given his daily bath by his mother and while she was powdering around his penis, he said, ‘Why don’t you put your finger there?’
the giraffe fantasy
This is further evidence of Hans experiencing the Oedipus complex as the big giraffe represents his dad (long neck representing the penis) and the crumpled giraffe is his mother (her vagina).
In his fantasy, there were 2 giraffes. A big one and a ‘crumpled’ one. As Hans takes the ‘crumpled’ one away the big one calls out. Then Hans sits on top of the ‘crumpled’ one until the big one stops calling.
The first plumber fantasy/fear of the bath
This is evidence of his fear of being punished for his fantasies and desires for his mother.
While having a bath, Hans reported ‘the plumber came and unscrewed it. Then he took a big borer and stuck it in my stomach’.
Later that day he admitted that he was scared that his mother would let go of him and his head would go under water. His father suggested it was because he had been naughty and his mother did not love him anymore. He also said that Hans wished that his mother would let go of his sister Hanna when she was in the bath.
Hans is jealous of his sister because she is the rival for his mother’s attention and wants her out of the way.
Hans phobia of horses
Hans had a fear of being bitten by a horse, particularly white horses with blinkers.
Hans’ father had a black moustache and wore glasses. To Freud this was proof that that Hans had displaced his fear of his father to the horse. After all, it’s much easier to fear horses than your own dad. The fear of the horse and being bitten was actually a fear of punishment through castration.
Hans’s fear of carts and preoccupation with ‘lumf’
He was also afraid that a horse would fall over when carrying a heavy cart, which Freud said was a fear of his mother giving birth to another child who would steal his mother from him.
He was also obsessed with ‘lumf’ (his word for faeces) and would often go to the toilet when his mother was using it.
Freud suggested his obsession with ‘lumf’, and fear of the heavily loaded cart was due to his unconscious fear of his mother giving birth to another child who would steal her attention from him.
parenting fantasy
Hans’ anxiety had almost completely cleared by the end of April 1908. He was playing with his imaginary children and explained to his father that he was the children’s daddy, his mother was their mother and Hans’s father was their granddaddy.
Hans had resolved the conflict by no longer seeing his father as a rival. He had found a role for him as the grandad figure.
The 2nd plumber fantasy
Hans had a fantasy that a plumber came and removed his behind and his widdler with a pincer. The plumber then gave him a new widdler and behind. When asked, Hans said he wanted to be like his dad.
Hans’ father’s interpretation of this was that the plumber was giving him a bigger widdler – Freud interpreted it as Hans now identifying with his father and overcoming the Oedipus complex
conclusion
Freud claimed that he had learned nothing new from studying Little Hans’ case and that the study provided support for:
His psychosexual stages of development.
That boys during the phallic stage develop an Oedipus complex (little Hans wanted his father ‘out of the way’ so that he could have the affections of his mother all to himself)
That phobias are the result of unconscious anxieties which have been displaced onto external objects (the fear of his father finding out about his desires displaced into a fear of horses)
