Psychodynamic Explanation for Gender Development Flashcards
(13 cards)
What stage of Freud’s psychosexual development is associated with gender development?
The phallic stage (around 4–5 years).
What is the Oedipus Complex?
Boys develop incestuous feelings for their mother and see their father as a rival, leading to castration anxiety.
How do boys resolve the Oedipus Complex?
By identifying with their father and internalising his male role, adopting a masculine gender identity.
What is the Electra Complex?
Girls experience penis envy and desire for their father, blaming their mother for their lack of a penis.
How do girls resolve the Electra Complex?
By replacing the desire for a penis with a desire for a baby and identifying with their mother.
What is identification in Freud’s theory?
When a child sees themselves as similar to a same-sex parent and wishes to be like them.
What is internalisation in Freud’s theory?
The child adopts the attitudes and behaviours of the same-sex parent, forming the foundation of gender identity.
What supporting evidence did Freud use for his theory?
The case of Little Hans, a 5-year-old boy who feared horses, interpreted as symbolic fear of his father.
What is a criticism of Freud’s interpretation of Little Hans?
Freud’s interpretation risks researcher bias, leading to low objectivity and low scientific credibility.
What is a major criticism of the Oedipus and Electra complexes?
They are unconscious concepts that cannot be tested scientifically, making the theory unscientific.
What evidence challenges Freud’s claim about the necessity of a father figure for boys?
Studies show children in single-parent or same-sex families still develop typical gender identities.
What does research suggest about the age of gender development compared to Freud’s claim?
Research shows gendered behaviour as early as age 2, challenging Freud’s claim that it forms at 4–5 years.
What theory does the early emergence of gendered behaviour support?
Gender schema theory, suggesting Freud’s theory may be developmentally inaccurate.
