Psychodynamic

Question 1

What is meant by ‘pre-phallic children’?

Answer 1

• the phallic stage (3rd stage of the psychosexual stages) is where gender development occurs (3-6yrs)
• prior to this children have no concept of gender
• during the phallic stage focus of pleasure switches to the genitals and here they experience the Oedipus complex and the electra complex

Question 2

What is the Oedipus complex?

Answer 2

• Phallic stage - boys develop incestuous feelings for mam - jealous/murderous hatred for father - recognises fathers power and fears castration (castration anxiety) - to resolve conflict gives up love for mam and identifies with dad

Question 3

What is the Electra Complex?

Answer 3

• Phallic stage girls experience penis envy - mother is competition for father’s love - double resentment to mother for castration and loving dad - concept came from Jung suggested girls come to accept never have a penis and replace envy for wanting a child and so identity with mam

Question 4

What is meant by ‘identification and internalisation’?

Answer 4

• children identify with the same gender parents to resolve conflicts
• involves taking on gender identity (internalisation)
• both boys and girls receive ‘second hand’ gender identity all at once at the end of the phallic stage

Question 5

What does Little Hans have to do with any of this?

Answer 5

• 5 year old with phobia of horses who watched a horse collapse and die in the street
• Freud said Hans fear of being bitten represented his fear of castration, Hand displaces his fear onto horses as a defence mechanism

Question 6

How does gender bias link to this theory?

Answer 6

• Freud admitted to having a limited understanding of women and had Jung take up a lot of the research regarding the electra complex
• notion of penis envy been critiqued for reflecting the androcentrism of the Victorian era
• Horney suggested a more powerful emotion than penis envy was womb envy
• challenges the idea that women’s gender development is founded on a desire to be a man

Question 7

How was Freuds theory Pseudoscientific?

Answer 7

• as Freuds theory is not compatible with Poppers theory of falsifiability as a lot of the processes are unconscious and so untestable, lacks validity

Question 8

How is the Oedipus complex supported?

Answer 8

• Rekers and Morey rated gender identity of 48 boys 3-11 yrs based on interviews, of those who were ‘gender disturbed’ 75% had neither biological father nor substitute father