Psychodynamic explanations of gender Flashcards
Gender development
Driven by unconscious mind
For first 3 years child is bisexual - no strong sense of gender identity
Occurs in phallic stage (3-5)
Child begins to seek pleasure from playing with their genitals and pays attention to physical differences between males and females
Identification
Identification with same sex parent is necessary for normal gender development
Occurs as result of Oedipus and Electra complex
Oedipus complex
Unconscious conflict in phallic stage where boy’s affection for his mother becomes intensely sexual - desires his mother for himself (id impulses)
Boy recognises his father as powerful rival who he fears will castrate him if he discovers his feelings (castration anxiety)
Boy resolves conflict by identification with his father (identification with aggressor) and gives up desires for his mother
Electra complex
Girls resent their mothers because they realise males have a penis considered symbol of power
She doesn’t have one but desires one (penis envy)
Loathes her mother for making her so incomplete
Changes her desire for a penis into desire to have a baby - want her father to provide baby and anxious mother will find out
Conflict resolved by identification with mother
Identification and internalisation
Children identify with same sex parent
Involves imitation and modelling of same-sex parent as a means of resolving Oedipus/Electra complex
Boys adopt attitudes and values of their father and girls, their mother - take on their gender identity (internalisation)
Both boys and girls receive a ‘second-hand’ gender identity at end of phallic stage
Identification - gaining their gender identity from same-sex parent
Oedipus complex boy assumes male role and acquires conscience to avoid castration
By identifying with same sex parent they develop their superego and gender identity
Girls identify with their other but their motivation isn’t as strong as they don’t fear castration so they develop a weaker gender identity
Little Hans (1905)
Hans developed phobia of horses aged 4 - terrified horse might bite him
Freud interpreted child’s anxiety as expressing unconscious fear of his father, fear of being bitten was symbolisation of his fear of castration
Fear stopped when Hans reported dreams about marrying his mother and plumber fitting him with a bigger penis
AO3
- issues related to oedipus complex
- case study
- unfalsifiable
- Inadequate account of female development
issues related to oedipus complex
Malinowski (1927) study of Trobriand islanders suggests OC may be artefact of Western culture
Boys in culture who were disciplined by their uncles rather than father still went on to develop fully-formed gender identity
case study
Little Hans is case study so it’s impossible to generalise findings to all boys
Phobia could be better explained by classical conditioning
One case study is insufficient evidence to support a theory
unfalsifiable
Freud’s ideas are difficult to test scientifically because they’re difficult to falsify
Many of desires and thoughts associated with Oedipus and Electra complexes are unconscious so it’s impossible to objectively test their existence
inadequate account of female development
Freud said women were mystery to him and his notion of ‘penis envy’ has been criticised as reflecting patriarchal era in which he worked
Feminist psychoanalyst Horney argues more powerful emotion than penis envy is male experience of ‘womb envy’ - reaction to women’s ability to nurture and sustain life
