Freud (Little Hans) Flashcards
What year did Freud’s study occur?
1909
What stage did Freud look at in the psycho-sexual stages? And at what age does it occur?
Phallic stage
Occurs at 3-5/6 years old
What complex does boys goes through?, Freud
Oedipus complex
What is the background behind freud?
Little Hans was described as normal. Cheerful child. When he became ‘ill’ (developed his phobia) it was clear, there was a distinction between what he said and what he thought.
Little hands was referred to Freud by his father, a keen supporter of Freud’s work. Freud helped little Hans and behaved as he was. This process is known as psychoanalysis. Freud documented Hans to show his fears, dreams and fantasies were symbolic of his unconscious passing through the phallic stage of psycholosexual development.
What was frueds aim?
Freud used the study of Little Hands to support his views on the origins of phobias, infantile sexuality and the oedipus complex.
What was the method that frued used?
Longitudinal single case study - only studied 1 person and applied to everyone.
In-depth Qualitative data - sent by Little hans father about his behaviours and for advance.
What sample did freud use?
One boy that was aged from 3-5
What was Little Hans phobia’s?
Horses
Carts and buses
Producers of Freud?
Hans started to develop an active interest in his “widdler”
This caused his mother to threaten to send for a doctor to cut it off. At 3 ½ his sister was born; he resented her and hoped she would drown in the bath.
A short time afterwards he developed a fear of white horses and being bitten by them. This seemed to relate to 2 hey incidents: firstly, overhearing a may day to child “Don’t put your finger to the white house or it will bite you”, secondly, seeing a horse that was pulling a carriage fall down. As a result, Hans’ phobia was generalised to carts and buses.
It was also reported that before and after the development of the phobia, Hans was anxious that his mother would leave and he experienced fantasies including 1 about a giraffe, 2 plumber fantasies and finally a parenting fantasy.
The analysis/ investigation of Little Hans ended soon after the final fantasy. The phobia stopped due to the help he was given by Freud.
What conclusions did freud get?
Provided support for his theory of psycho-sexual development and childhood sexuality.
Phobias are caused by unconscious anxiety being displaced onto harmless external objects. Hans is an example of unconscious determinism which suggests that people are not consciously aware of the causes of their behaviour.
Psychoanalysis was an effective treatment for Little Han because it identifies the unconscious cause of the abnormality which is then brought into the cousins to be discussed and resolved.
What did he find out? Freud
Han’s was experiencing the oedipus complex (a sexual desire for his mother and rivalry with his father) he was subconsciously scared of his father.
This fear was manifested in a fear of horses, particularly those with dark around the mouth (representing his father’s beard) and blinders (which represented his glasses)
Hans’ obsession with his ‘widdler’ was another sign of being in the phallic stage of development and experiencing the oedipus complex.
Other behaviours relating to the oedipus complex also included the giraffe fantasy which represented the desire to take his mother away from his father; the plumber fantasy was interpreted as him identifying with his father, as was the fantasy of becoming a father.
The final fantasy was interpreted as the resolution of the oedipus complex.
Evaluations of freud?
It was in-depth qualitative data. This allowed to make detailed conclusions. However, as the data gained by Han’s father (secondary data) who was also a fan of Freud, it may lack objectivity.
It was only 1 individual, the study lacks population validity. Therefore it was questionable if the findings concerning the oedipus complex and psychosexual development can be generalised to a target population. Also as Hans was a middle class European boy. It can be suggested that this study and much of Freud’s other research is ethnocentric and gender biassed (beta)
Ethics : Little Hand was unable to give informed consent; however, Hans’ father clearly did. Some of the questions Hans’ father asked his son may have caused psychological harm and the detailed descriptions within the research article would be invasion of privacy.
Strength of freud?
Psychodynamics: a pioneering, original approach
Some scientific support for the approach
Psychoanalysis as a therapy is still used
acknowledgment of the role of the unconscious
Limitations of freud?
Gender biassed approach
Culture based approach
Unfalsifiable theory
Lots of vague concepts eg. Id, Ego, Superego
Not ethical
What are the actions made in? ____ mind,, Freud
Unconscious mind
