Psychodynamic explanation of gender

Question 1

Freud’s psychoanalytic theory

Answer 1

• children born gender neutral
• develop masculine or feminine gender during phallic stage
• gender identity constructed after the Oedipus or Electra complex

Question 2

Oedipus complex

Answer 2

• boy desires the person who feeds and nurtures them (mother)
• fears father due to castration anxiety
• conflict: lust for mother, fear of father

Question 3

castration anxiety

Answer 3

fear that father will find out about desire for mother and remove prized possession

Question 4

how is the Oedipus complex resolved?

Answer 4

• boy identifies with father and believes he’ll marry a lady like his mother
• leads to solid masculine gender identity where he becomes like his father

Question 5

Electra complex

Answer 5

• girls love their mother
• libido directed towards father
• conflict: wanting to be father’s centre of attention and penis envy (blames mother for castration)

Question 6

how is the Electra complex resolved?

Answer 6

• discover can’t have penis so desire substituted for desire for a baby
• identifies with mother and begins to adopt gender behaviours

Question 7

identification

Answer 7

• child imitates the behaviour of same-sex parents
• acquisition of gender identity

Question 8

internalisation

Answer 8

• takes on same gender parents beliefs, attitudes and behaviours
• leads to the acquisition of the superego

Question 9

counter PEEL arguments

Answer 9

Support from case studies
- little Hans: supports O. complex and internalisation/identification as a resolution
However: lacks credibility, based on Freud’s interpretation so highly subjective and biased

Question 9

single parent families

Answer 9

• unable to resolve conflict at phallic stages
• leads to reckless sexual behaviour
• males: homosexuality, females: promiscuous deviant sexual behaviours

Question 10

criticisms of psychodynamic explantion

Answer 10

Lacks predictive validity
- kids from hetero and same sex parents had the same gender development
Alpha bias & androcentrism
- Horney: penis envy concept claims women desire to be like men

Question 11

strengths of psychodynamic explanation

Answer 11

Value to some psychodynamic explanations
- Lacan: penis envy symbolises envy of male power and dominance in society