Psychodynamic explanation

Question 1

What concepts does the psychodynamic approach use?

Answer 1

internalisation and identification

Question 2

When stage does gender development occur?

Answer 2

During phallic stage

Question 3

What age is gender development?

Answer 3

Between 3-6

Question 4

Why is it during the phallic stage?

Answer 4

• Child’s libido is focused on his/her genitals

Question 5

When is child’s identity is resolved?

Answer 5

During phallic stage though Oedipus complex or Electra complex

Question 6

What are the 3 components in the Oedipus complex?

Answer 6

1) Boy desire their mother at age 3 or 4 and becomes aware of his sexuality and desires his mothers attention
2) boy see father as rival and wishes father was dead. Wish creates anxiety and fear of castration - these are repressed
3) complex is resolved when boy identifies with their father through identification and boy internalises his fathers gender identity and takes it as his own

Question 7

Who proposed the Electra complex?

Answer 7

Carl Jung

Question 8

What are the 3 stages in the Electra complex?

Answer 8

1) young girl initially attracted to her mother -end when they discover mother does not have a penis. girl blames mother for her own lack of penis believing she was castrated and experiences penis envy.
2) girls sexual desires are transferred to the father
3) complex is resolved when penis envy is converted to wish to have baby - this reduces anger towards the mother and now she can identify with her and take on gender behaviours

Question 9

Why is the end result less satisfactory for girls?

Answer 9

Because their identification is less strong with the same-sex parent. Freud believed there was little reason for anyone to identify with women as they had lower status.

Question 10

What is the unresolved phallic stage?

Answer 10

• Each stage is resolved through a conflict
• successful resolution = psychological outcome e.g. in genital stage healthy outcome is identification with same-sex parent and internalisation of appropriate gender identity
• both frustration and overindulgence may lead to fixation at psychosexual stage.

Question 11

What did Freud call children before the phallic stage?

Answer 11

bisexual , where they show neither feminine or masculine behaviour

Question 12

What will absent fathers/mothers have an effect on?

Answer 12

have a negative effect on gender identity of the same-gender child
e.g. boys struggle with identity if absent father

Question 13

A03 Strength of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is that there is supporting evidence

Answer 13

• Little Hans, fear of being bitten is fear of castration. Horse was displacement fear of father. Resolution when Hans identified with father and no longer wanted him dead
• Evidence for Oedipus complex which is seen as important stage in gender development
• Resolution leads to gender appropriate behaviour e.g. fathering several children
• Supports internalisation and adopting behaviour from same-sex parent support psychodynamic

Question 14

A03 Counter argument to little hans study

Answer 14

• Incredibly subjective, based on Freud’s interpretation (confirmation bias) - poor evidence base. Cannot falsify, lack of scientific rigor

Question 15

A03 scientific evidence for absent fathers in ‘abnormal ‘ development of gender

Answer 15

• Rekers and Morey rated the gender identity of 49 boys aged 3-11 yolds based in interviews with their families and children themselves
• if judged to be gender disturbed, 75% had neither bio father or substitute father
• supports being raised with no father have a negative impact on gender identity in boys in line with Freud’s theory

Question 16

A03 the relationship between absent fathers and development is not supported

Answer 16

• Bos and Sandford compared data from 63 children where both parents were lesbians and 68 children from traditional
• raised with lesbians felt less pressure to conform to gender stereotypes and less likely to assume their gender was superior
• no differences in terms of psychological adjustment of identity
• suggest there is growing body of evidence that refutes some of the central elements of Freuds theory suggesting it’s outdated

Question 17

A03 Finally, it is an inadequate explanation for women’s development and considered androcentric

Answer 17

• Although he wrote extensively about Oedipus complex, the theory on girls development was taken up by Carl Jung a contemporary
• Freud admitted women were a mystery to him
• notion of penis envy is reflective of androcentric Victorian era
• Karen Homey - womb envy a reaction to women’s ability to sustain and nurture life
• Suggests Freud’s theory is affected by gender bais and would now be considered outdates