Psychodynamic explanations for gender development Flashcards
Pre-phallic children
- Five psychosexual stages
- 3rd one is phallic stage (3-6)
- Pre-phallic children do not distinguish between males and females
- No gender identity
Oedipus complex
- Boys
- Phallic stage
- Desire for the mother
- Jealous hatred of father
- Castration anxiety
Oedipus complex in gender development
- Resolved through identification with father
- Take on Male gender identity
Electra complex
- Girls
- Phallic stage
- Desire for father
- Jealous hatred of mother
- Penis envy
Electra complex in gender development
- Resolved through identification with mother
- Take on Female gender identity
Identification
Identification leads to internalisation of same-sex parent’s identity
Happens all at once
Little Hans
- Freud’s evidence for the Oedipus complex
- Hans feared horses and feared his father would castrate him- displaced to horses
- Case study
Psychodynamic explanations for gender development evaluation points- The Oedipus complex
STRENGTH
75% of ‘gender disturbed’ boys did not have a biological/substitute father
(Rekers and Morey)
Psychodynamic explanations for gender development evaluation points- The Oedipus complex counterpoint
LIMITATION
Research on children from lesbian families, no difference in gender identity
(Bos and Sandfort)
Psychodynamic explanations for gender development evaluation points- Female development
LIMITATION
Freud’s account reflected male power in Victorian times (androcentric bias), males may have ‘womb envy’ (Horney)
Psychodynamic explanations for gender development evaluation points- Pseudoscientific
LIMITATION
Methods (e.g. case studies) lack rigour, concepts (e.g. penis envy) untestable, so cannot be falsified