Freud Flashcards
What area does this study belong to
The individual differences area
Background
Freuds theory of psychosexual development, origins of phobias and the Oedipus complex and his belief in the effectiveness of psychoanalytic therapy
Describe research method
Case study
Longitudinal
(From when Hans was 3yrs-5yrs)
Data was gathered by little Hans father regularly observing and questioning Hans. He then sent the records to Freud.
Sample
Little Hans AKA Herbert Graf
3 years old when the study started and 5 when it finished
What happened when Hans was 3
He showed a lively interest in his ‘widdler’ and his mother started to threaten him that the doctor will cut it off.
What happened when he was 3 1/2
Hans gained a baby sister, hanna, whom he resented.
Subconsciously he wished his mother would drop her in the bath so she would drown
Hans later gained a fear of the bath. How did freud interpret this?
Hans was scared that his mother secretly knew that he wanted her to drop his sister in the bath and that she was going to do that to him instead.
Later Hans developed a phobia of what?
White horses.
Being bitten by one
How did freud interpret the white horse phobia?
The horse resembled his father. The black around the horses mouth resembled his father’s moustache. He was scared his father would castrate him
What could ACTUALLY caused the white horse phobia
Seeing a white horse fall over and kick about it’s legs
Overhearing a father say to a child “don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you”
He then had a giraffe fantasy. What happened in it ?
A Larger giraffe is sat on a smaller giraffe. Then Hans pushes the larger giraffe and sits on the small one himself
What did freud say the giraffe fantasy meant
Larger giraffe is the father
Smaller giraffe is the mother
He is pushing his father away and taking his mother for himself
What was the plumber fantasy according to freud
Hans identifying with his father
Signifying the end of the Oedipus complex
Key findings
The phobia of the white horse was him being fearful of his father because he was experiencing the Oedipus complex
His fascination with his widdler was coz of the Oedipus complex
His daydream about giraffes was a representation of him trying to take his mother away from his father- another feature of the Oedipus complex
Hans father fantasy was linked to the Oedipus complex
The plumber fantasy was him now identifying with his father and signifying the end of the Oedipus complex
Conclusion
This study provided support for:
His theory of psychosexual development
Boys in the phallic stage experience the Oedipus complex
His use of psychoanalytic therapy to treat disturbed thoughts, feelings and behaviours by finding the unconscious causes
