Freud (Little Hans) Flashcards
(95 cards)
1
Q
Define Oedipus complex.
A
Where boys have intense sexual desire for their mother and feat their father will castrate them
2
Q
Define psychoanalysis.
A
‘Talking cure’ (therapy)
3
Q
Define psychosexual stages
A
Development of certain body parts sensitive to sexual stimulation
4
Q
Define identification with the aggressor.
A
End of Oedipus complex where boys identify with their fathers rather than fearing castration from them
5
Q
Define id.
A
Strong instinctual drive within our unconscious.
6
Q
Define ego
A
Balances/compromises demands of the id and superego within the unconscious
7
Q
Define superego
A
Moralistic side of our unconscious
8
Q
Define defence mechanisms
A
Used by the ego to protect itself from overloading conflicts and anxieties
9
Q
Define case study
A
Main method used in psychodynamic perspective
10
Q
Define phobia
A
Innate irrational fear
11
Q
Define unconscious mind
A
Thought processses we are unaware
12
Q
What, according to Freud are the 3 aspects to the personality?
A
- The id
- The ego
- The superego
13
Q
What is the id?
A
Instinctual drive - the animalistic, survival instincts we have (such as aggression and sexuality)
14
Q
What does Freud believe is the source of our motivation for action?
A
Libidinous/sexual drive
15
Q
What is the superego?
A
Our morality principle that argues we should behave morally and in a socially acceptable way at all times.
16
Q
a) What is the superego?
b) What does this cause?
A
a) Our morality principle that argues we should behave morally and in a socially acceptable way at all times.
b) It is in a permanent state of conflict with the id
17
Q
Why is the superego in a permanent state of conflict with the id?
A
Because the superego argues we should behave morally and in a socially acceptable way at all times, whereas the id just wants to follow our survival instincts.
18
Q
What is the ego?
A
The part of the mind that compromises the demands of the id and the superego.
19
Q
What, according to Freud, is needed in order to behave and enjoy ourselves appropriately?
A
A strong ego
20
Q
What does Freud argue we need a strong ego for?
A
In order for us to behave and enjoy ourselves appropriately.
21
Q
Where does the id/superego conflicts occur?
A
In the unconscious mind
22
Q
What does Freud believe about the conflicts of the id/superego within the unconscious mind?
A
That it is always erupting into the conscious mind (i.e. in dreams, humour and through slips of the tongue/’Freudian slips’)
23
Q
In what psychosexual stage of development does Freud believe the Oedipus complex occurs?
A
The phallic stage
24
Q
a) In what psychosexual stage of development does Freud believe the Oedipus complex occurs?
b) What age is this?
A
a) The phallic stage
b) 3-5/6 years old
25
What is the Oedipus complex?
During the phallic stage of psychosexual development, a boy develops an intense sexual love for his mother. Because of this, he sees his father as a rival, and wants to get rid of him. The father, however, is far bigger and more powerful than the boy and so the child develops a fear, that, seeing him as a rival, his father will castrate him.
26
How/why does the 'identification with the aggressor' occur within the Oedipus complex?
Because it is impossible to live with the continual castration-threat anxiety, the young boy will develop a mechanism for coping (called a defence mechanism) - this is known as 'identification with the aggressor' because the child wants to become more like his father, feeling that if his father sees him as similar he will not feel hostile towards him.
27
Why does the boy develop a fear of castration for his father during the Oedipus complex?
Because he sees his father as a rival (in desiring sex with his mother) and so wants to get rid of him. The father is bigger and more powerful so the boy feels that when the father picks up on the competition between them, he will try and castrate the boy.
28
Why does the boy develop the defence mechanism in the Oedipus complex?
Because it is impossible to live with the continual castration-threat anxiety, so a mechanism needs to be developed for coping.
29
What is the type of defence mechanism produced in the Oedipus complex and what does this entail?
'Identification with the aggressor' - the boy adopts the mannerisms and actions of his father (the aggressor) in the hope that his father will see him as similar, and so will not feel hostile towards him.
30
What does identification with the aggressor signify in the progression of the Oedipus complex?
That the boy has found a way of coping with the conflicts and so nearing the end of the Oedipus complex in the phallic stage of psychosexual development
31
What are defence mechanisms?
Things that take the anxiety away from the ego, onto something or someone else.
32
What does the defence mechanism projection mean?
Projecting the fear/anxiety of something onto something else, to control it
33
What does the defence mechanism repression mean?
Unconsciously pushing things to the back of your mind
34
What was the aim of the Little Hans study?
To report on the treatment of a five-year-old boy's phobia of horses.
35
What was the sample used in the the Little Hans study?
The sample consisted of one boy, called 'Little Hans'.
36
Why is it important to know that Little Hans was the son of one of Freud's friends?
Potential experimenter bias; Hans' father was a supporter of Freud's ideas
37
What kind of method was used in the Little Hans study?
Case study method
38
What is a case study method, as used in the Little Hans study?
Where one person, or small group is investigated in great depth.
39
How do we know that the case study method was used in the Little Hans study?
Little Hans was studied in depth over a period of two years.
40
How exactly was the Little Hans study carried out (describe the method/procedure)?
Done mostly through second-hand information (letters written by Hans' father to Freud, describing his son's reported dreams and fantasies. Freud would then write back to Little Hans' father, explaining what these dreams and fantasies symbolised.), and one interview where Freud asked Hans about his phobia of horses. The treatment continued until his phobia began to diminish.
41
What kind of information was Freud working from in the Little Hans study?
Second hand information.
42
a) What kind of information was Freud working from in the Little Hans study?
b) Where did he get this from?
a) Second hand information
| b) Through letters from Hans' father
43
Why, according to Freud, can we not remember having such sexual desires as found in the Oedipus/Electra complex once we are grown adults?
Because we have successfully repressed these desires into our unconscious mind - this is a defense mechanism.
44
Give an example of a defense mechanism found in Freud's Oedipus complex.
Repression - Freud argues we cannot recollect the sexual desires we had for our mothers during the phallic stage because we have repressed these desires into the unconscious mind.
45
Describe the first fantasy Little Hans experienced.
Fantasy of two giraffes - a big one and a small, crumpled one. The big giraffe shouts at Little Hans because he tried to take the small one away from it. The big giraffe then stops shouting and Little Hans sits on top of the small, crumpled one.
46
What did Freud believe about the first fantasy Little Hans described? Explain what each part of the fantasy represented/meant.
Freud argued it was symbolic of the Oedipus complex. The big giraffe represented the father and the small, crumpled one represented the mother. When the big giraffe shouts at Hans to stop taking the 'mother' away from him, this is representative of the boy's fear of the father.
47
What key question did Freud ask Hans in his interview with him?
Freud asked him what it was about horses that made him afraid of them
48
a) What key question did Freud ask Hans in his interview with him?
b) What was Hans' response?
a) Freud asked him what it was about horses that made him afraid of them
b) The black around the eyes (blinkers) and the black around the mouth that frightened him.
49
a) What key question did Freud ask Hans in his interview with him?
b) What was Hans' response?
c) What did Freud then interpret for Hans' phobia?
a) Freud asked him what it was about horses that made him afraid of them
b) The black around the eyes (blinkers) and the black around the mouth that frightened him.
c) Black around the eyes was symbolic of his father's glasses and black around the mouth symbolic of his father's moustache. Overall, Hans' fear of horses was symbolic of his fear of his father (relating again to the Oedipus complex)
50
What was Hans' response when asked by Freud in their interview was it was about horses that made Hans afraid of them?
The black around the eyes (blinkers) and the black around the mouth that frightened him.
51
What was Hans' word for eyes when interviewed by Freud?
Blinkers
52
Hans said he was scared of horses because of black around the eyes (blinkers) and the black around the mouth that frightened him. What did Freud interpret from this?
Black around the eyes was symbolic of his father's glasses and black around the mouth symbolic of his father's moustache. Overall, Hans' fear of horses was symbolic of his fear of his father (relating again to the Oedipus complex)
53
Define phobia.
Irrational fear
54
How else might you define irrational fear?
Phobia
55
When did Little Hans claim he first remembered feeling afraid of horses?
When he saw one fall down in the street
56
a) What question did Hans' father ask him about when his phobia began (i.e. when Hans saw the horse fall down in the street)?
b) What is the problem with this?
a) "When the horse fell down, did you think of your daddy?"
| b) It is a leading question
57
What question did Hans' father ask him about when his phobia began (i.e. when Hans saw the horse fall down in the street)?
"When the horse fell down, did you think of your daddy?"
58
What is the problem with the question Hans' father asked him about when his phobia began (i.e. when he saw the horse fall down in the street)?
It was a leading question
59
What was similar about both of Hans' final 2 fantasies?
They both, according to Freud, symbolised identifying with the father, triggering the end of the Oedipus complex and hence the end of Hans' phobia.
60
Describe the second fantasy Hans relayed to his father.
A dream where a plumber came and removed his bottom and 'widdler' and replaced them with bigger better versions.
61
What was Hans' word for a penis in describing his second 'fantasy' to his father?
Widdler
62
What did Hans' second fantasy emulate about the Oedipus complex?
Shows he has internalised his dad/identified with the aggressor, highlighting the end of the Oedipus complex and the end of his phobia of horses.
63
Describe the third fantasy that Little Hans had.
Little Hans fantasised about having children with his mother.
64
What did Freud believe most of Hans' problems came out of?
The conflicts caused by the Oedipus complex
65
What evidence in the Little Hans study supports Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex?
- Afraid of horses as a symbol of Hans' fear of his father (black around the eyes and mouth remind him of his father's glasses and moustache)
- Sexual fantasies about his mother (in the 3rd fantasy Hans described to his father)
66
What part of this study suggests that Little Hans may not have been the best child to study to create this theory?
Hans was not a normal child - he was able to communicate fears and wishes more eloquently than other children of his age and Freud believed as a result Hans was able to resolve conflicts and anxieties other children would not have been able to.
67
What are case studies particularly useful in doing?
Revealing and treating the origins of abnormal behaviour
68
How do case studies help to reveal and treat the origins of abnormal behaviour?
Psychotherapy relies on building up a long and detailed case history as an aid to understanding and then helping the client as an individual
69
What kind of data was provided by the case study?
Qualitative
70
What was it that Freud argued that allowed the analysis to progress and for the discussions with the boy to be detailed and so intimate?
The special relationship between Hans and his father
71
What did Freud argue that the special relationship between Hans and his father allow to happen?
For the analysis to progress and for the discussions with the boy to be so detailed and intimate.
72
What is a strength of this particular case study?
- There was a very special relationship between Hans and his father, allowing the analysis to progress and for the discussions with the boy to be so detailed and intimate.
- Lots of qualitative data so treatment can be tailored to the individual
73
What is a weakness of this case study?
- Only relate to one individual so hard to generalise findings
- There is no way of measuring how representative Hans is of children in general/no way of measuring how typical he is
- Based on Freud's interpretation of Hans' father's interpretation of his son's own phobia; Freud only met Hans once (therefore drastic reduction in objectivity as the father supported Freud's theories)
- Leading questions were used, leading to demand characteristics affecting the accuracy of results
74
What question has to be asked about how representative this study is?
Whether this study is unique to the relationship between Little Hans, his Father and Freud or whether we can generalise it to other cases
75
What are the implications of the study?
- All boys go through the Oedipus complex during the phallic stage of psychosexual development
- Phobias are just projections of other fears from the unconscious
- The only real cure for these phobias is to talk about our feelings (the talking cure)
76
Explain a problem with the implications of the study (Hans' phobia caused by projection of fear from the unconscious).
Other explanations can account for Hans' phobia - e.g. classical conditioning:
- Hans claimed the fear began when he saw the horse fall down in the street
- The fear he felt when he saw this would become associated with horses, producing a classically conditioned phobia of horses
- This then became generalised to all horses
77
How can classical conditioning alternatively explain Hans' phobia of horses?
- Hans claimed the fear began when he saw the horse fall down in the street
- The fear he felt when he saw this would become associated with horses, producing a classically conditioned phobia of horses
- This then became generalised to all horses
78
What else can be used to explain Hans' phobia of horses?
Classical conditioning
79
a) What else can be used to explain Hans' phobia of horses?
| b) Explain why this is.
a) Classical conditioning
b) - Hans claimed the fear began when he saw the horse fall down in the street
- The fear he felt when he saw this would become associated with horses, producing a classically conditioned phobia of horses
- This then became generalised to all horses
80
What was the defence mechanism adopted by Little Hans?
Projection
81
What is an irrational fear?
Phobia
82
What did Hans see fall over in the street?
Horse
83
What is the morality principle within us?
Superego
84
What is the name for the conscious part of the personality?
Ego
85
What can be used as an alternative explanation of Little Hans' phobia of horses?
Classical conditioning
86
What did Hans have a dream about two of?
Giraffes
87
What can be used by the ego to deal with anxieties in the short-term?
Defence mechanisms
88
What is Freud's first name?
Sigmund
89
What is the name for the complex when the son has sexual desire for his mother?
Oedipus complex
90
The sample in this study can be criticised for being what?
Unrepresentative
91
What is the psychosexual stage in which the Oedipus Complex occurs?
Phallic
92
What is Hans' word for his penis?
Widdler
93
What is the child-like, primitive part of the personality?
Id
94
What type of questions was Hans' father criticised for asking?
Leading
95
What is Freudian therapy?
Psychoanalysis
