Gender - Pscyhdoyamic Flashcards
(15 cards)
What shapes behaviour, feelings, and personality according to psychodynamics?
Unconscious drives shape behaviour, feelings, and personality.
Applied by Freud to gender development.
How does Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory describe gender development?
Gender develops through 5 psychosexual stages. In the phallic stage (age ~5), gender identity forms by resolving unconscious conflict.
What is the Oedipus Complex?
Boys desire mother, see father as rival. Fear of father (castration anxiety) leads to identification with him—adopting his gender role.
What is the Electra Complex according to Jung?
Girls desire father, compete with mother. Resolve conflict by identifying with mother and adopting her gender role. Involves penis envy and desire for a baby.
What is Identification in Freud’s theory?
Children imitate same-sex parent to be accepted and reduce threat. Freud said this marks phallic stage resolution and internalisation of gender identity.
What did the case study of Little Hans demonstrate?
5-year-old feared horses. Freud said it reflected castration anxiety and fear of father. Dreams (giraffes) symbolised desire for mother. Supported Oedipus complex.
What did Stevenson & Black’s meta-analysis find?
Meta-analysis of 67 studies: boys without fathers (age 6+) showed more masculine behaviour than those with fathers.
Contradicts Freud.
What did Green’s study reveal about boys in different household types?
Boys in lesbian vs heterosexual households showed no gender difference.
Undermines Freud’s idea that a male father figure is needed.
What is a challenge to Freud’s theory regarding father figures?
Findings suggest a father figure isn’t essential, contradicting core claims of the Oedipus/Electra complex.
What ethical issues arise from Freud’s theory?
Freud’s theory has been used to stigmatise single or same-sex families. Raises ethical issues and social sensitivity in psychological research.
What did Martin & Little find about children’s gender behaviour?
Children as young as 3 showed strong sex-typed behaviour (e.g. toy preference).
Suggests gender starts earlier than Freud claimed.
What is a criticism of the scientific validity of the Oedipus complex?
Oedipus complex is unconscious, so can’t be tested or falsified—unscientific.
What is a criticism regarding the case study method used by Freud?
Relies on biased, subjective data (e.g. Little Hans). Parents were Freud’s supporters—reduces validity.
What is the temporal validity issue with Freud’s theory?
Freud’s theory is based on early 20th-century nuclear families. Modern diverse family structures limit its relevance.
What is the face validity of Freud’s ideas?
Some behaviour (e.g. “mummy’s boy”, “daddy’s girl”) matches Freud’s ideas, but it’s anecdotal, not scientific.
