A AS Psychology'' Core Studies

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A / AS Psychology.. Core Studies

• Developmental Psychology
• The study
• Sigmund Freud (1909)

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Sigmund Freud (1909)

• Analysis of a phobia of a five year old boy

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The FIVE psychosexual stages

• The Oral (Birth - 1 year)
• The Anal (1 - 3 years)
• The Phallic (3 - 5/6 years)
• The Latent (6 - puberty)
• The Genital (adulthood)

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Stage 3 The PHALLIC stageAge 3 - 5

• The child adopts same sex parent characteristics
  due to
• The Oedipus conflict (boys)
• The Electra conflict (girls)

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SUMMARYOF OEDIPUS CONFLICT

• Child has unconscious sexual desire for opposite
  sex parent
• Fears same sex parent and may wish them out of
  the way
• Fears castration (if boy)
• Wishes for penis (if girl)
• Adopts characteristics of same sex parent to
  prevent castration

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In the PHALLIC stage.

• Failure to develop normal and resolve the Oedipus
  / Electra conflict leads to fixation at phallic
  stage.
• Adult symptoms of fixation at phallic stage
  include homosexuality, curiosity, exhibitionism

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Little Hans

• This is the ONLY case study of a child undertaken
  by Freud
• Freuds ideas about infant sexuality were based
  on his work with adult women
• (and his own self analysis)

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Little Hans

• The CASE STUDY
• (psychoanalytic therapy)
• was carried out by correspondence and interviews
  with Hans father
• First reports when Hans was three

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TERMS USED

• WIDDLER PENIS
• WIDDLING PEEING
• LUMF FAECES (POO)
• COAXING CUDDLING
• NONSENSE FEAR OF HORSES
• CASTRATION HAVING PENIS CUT OFF

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Little Hans

• Hans was interested in his widdler
• His mother told him
• not to play with your widdler .. or else she
  would call the doctor to come and cut it off
• Hans mother threatened to leave him

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Little Hans

• Hans baby sister was born - he was told the
  stork had brought the baby
• Early jealousy of sister
• Continued interest in his widdler, according to
  father his dreams and fantasies were of widdlers
  and of widdling

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Little Hans

• Father wrote to Freud
• Hans is afraid of horses, afraid a horse will
  bite him in the street, this fear seems to be
  connected to his being frightened by a large
  penis

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Little Hans

• Freud father try to make sense of what Hans was
  experiencing and to resolve his phobia of horses
• Freud noted that Hans fear of horses developed
  after the child had anxiety dreams of losing his
  mother AND after he has been warned not to play
  with his widdler

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Little Hans

• Hans dreams about a giraffe were explained as
  fear of big penis
• (long neck big penis)
• Freud theorised that Hans fear of horses was
  really fear of father
• Horse symbolic for father

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TIMELINE

• VISIT THE TIMELINE TO SEE THE MILESTONES IN
  LITTLE HANS LIFE, AND FREUDS EXPLANATION FOR
  THESE.
• CONSIDER WHAT OTHER EXPLANATIONS THER COULD BE

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Little Hans

• Freuds conclusion
• Little Hans phobia of horses was really fear of
  father
• (castration fear) during resolution of the
  Oedipus Conflict
• Fear resolved when Oedipus conflict resolved

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Little Hans Criticisms

• Hans is analysed by the father who is emotionally
  involved
• Father is biased as he already admires the work
  of Freud and may have believed that the boy was
  in the Oedipal (phallic stage)
• Father put words into Hans mouth

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Little Hans Criticisms

• The case study seems to be both
• scientific evidence and treatment
• (action research)
• These should be separated because
• If we treat what we are investigating how can
  it remain unchanged to be investigated?

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Little Hans Criticisms

• BUT
• Freud did deal with real people their problems
• Not neat tidy but has
• ecological validity

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Little Hans Criticisms

• AND unlike adult case studies
• No searching through past memory Hans father
  simply asked Hans!

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Little Hans Other explanations

• Perhaps Hans dreams about widdlers widdling
  were caused by his fear that his mother might cut
  off his penis?
• But - Freuds theory was that mothers were the
  primary love object of little boys, (not that
  Mother could be feared)

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Little Hans other explanations

• Learning Theory
• Hans had seen a horse fall down in the street
• (equivalent to road accident today)
• He learned to be afraid of horses!

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Little Hans - Ethical issues

• Treatment not very child friendly
• (and included leading questions)
• Freuds theory of the Oedipus/Electra conflict
  is proposed by some psychologists as the reason
  why people are reluctant to believe children who
  report sexual abuse

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Little Hans - Ethical Issues

• Hans was interviewed when he was 19
• He had no recollection of any of the discussions
  - No long term effects
• Hans said when he read the case study
• it came as something from the unknown

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THE END