SEARCH
You are in browse mode. You must login to use MEMORY

   Log in to start

level: Freud - Little Hans (ID)

Questions and Answers List

level questions: Freud - Little Hans (ID)

QuestionAnswer
Aims of Freuds study- Child sexuality + Oedipus Complex - To explain phobias + treat it through psychoanalysis
Theory of the study- Sexuality is evident from birth - Psychosexual stages
Background to study- Hans developed a phobia - Freud said caused by unconscious mind, dreams + fantasises in phallic stage - Hans father contacted Freud to psychoanalyse him
Research method- Case study - longitudinal study - Data was collected by father regularly observing and questioning hans
Sample- Hans - Study for 2 years - Aged between 3-5 - Involved father, mother and sister - Middle class, Vienna family (Austria)
Main features of this case- Little Hans was very interested in his widdler - Mother threatened to cut it off - Little Hans resented his sister, developed fear of bath - Fear of white horses - Fear that mother would desert him - Little Hans reported frequent fantasies
Idiographic- Drawing conclusions that can only apply to certain people
What did Hans want to do?- Fantasies about his mother + wanted to sexually posses her
How was the data collected- Data was collected by father regularly observing and questioning hans - Sent to Freud via letter
Strengths of data collection- In depth study about Hans' fears, dreams and fantasies - Interviewed by father = less likely to be stressed, answered willingly
Weaknesses of data collection- Father was follower of Freud, may have asked leading questions to get answers to support Freuds theories - Emotional involvement may have influenced what he said
Who was Hans father- A friend and supporter of Freud - Orchestra composer
Procedure- Data collected by father, regularly observed + questioned Hans - Both Freud + father offered interpretations of Han's behaviour
How many times did Freud meet Little Hans?- Twice - Once= Therapeutic session - Other= Social visit to deliver a present
What were the sources of Han's anxieties during his early life according to Freud- Mother, Father and Sister
Why was Han's mother a source of his anxiety in Freuds study?- He had sexual fantasies about her - But she had threatened to cut off his penis which led to castration anxiety
Source of Han's anxiety- Han's saw his father as a rival, wished him dead - But at the same time he loved his father, created a conflict of emotions
Hans Phobias1: Afraid of horses - White horse that would bite - Black bits around mouth and dark circles around its eyes 2: His mother would let him go in the bath
Freuds interpretations of Little Hans phobias- White horse fell down in street, father told girl horse could bite - Black around horses mouth + blinkers worn over eyes REPRESENTED his fathers black moustache + glasses - Hans mother would let him go in the bath + he would be separated from his mother
Symbolism in fear of horses- Oedipus complex jealous + hostile - Fear that horse would bit him represented fear that his father might castrate him as he wanting to possess his mother
Little Hans' dreams and fantasties- Giraffe Daydream - Plumber fantasy - Parenting fantasy
Giraffe daydream- Big + crumpled giraffe - Big giraffe called out as Hans took the crumpled one away - Then it stopped calling out
Explanation of the giraffe daydream- Re-enactment of what happened in morning when Hans climbed into bed with his parents - The father (big giraffe) objected and called out as Hans took crumpled giraffe (mother away) - Wants mother to himself
Plumber fantasy- The plumber came and took away Hans' behind + widdler - Replaced them with larger ones
Explanation of plumber fantasy- Hans wanted to be like his father - End of the Oedipus stage
Parenting fantasy- Hans is the father of his imaginary family - Mother was Hans' wife - Hans father was their grandfather
Explanation of the parenting fantasy- Hans sexual desires for his mother - His fear of his father being removed as he was the grandfather
Results of this study- All unconscious, in phallic stage - His fantasies were the resolution of the Oedipus complex
Conclusions- Overcame phobias by acknowledging his feelings of resentment - Supports all of Freud's theories
Psychoanalytic methods- Dream analysis - Interpretation and decoding of psychoanalytic symbols
Data- Qualitive
Qualitive data- Analysis of behaviour
Validity- High chance of misinterpretation - Father was follower of Freud, may have asked leading questions to get answers to support Freuds theories - Father bias, may not have reported everything
Strengths of the case study method in this study- Detailed descriptions of behaviours - Longitudinal method, allows qualitative data to be collected
Weaknesses of the case study method in this study- Not generalisable, one individual - Bias
Castration anxiety meaning- Hans was afraid of being castrated by a horse - Bite off his widler
Controls in this study- Not very controlled - Lacks objectivity, second-hand data through father - Psychoanalysis, not trying to prove anything, not scientific
Confounding variables- Subjective, biased observations of father - Little Hans aware of his father observing him, demand characteristics
Ethics- Discussing unconscious motivations may have increased his anxiety - Especially as it was conducted by his father
Ecological validity- Natural environment, not in artificial lab conditions
Ethnocentrism- Ethnocentric – middle class, Vienna - Not ethnocentric - phobias are common in children across the world, may not apply just to this culture
Nature vs nurture- Freud stated that nature + nurture affects disorders
Reductionism vs Holism (REDUCTIONISM)- Explained phobias + fantasies in psychosexual development - He reduced the explanation to this alone
Reductionism vs Holism (HOLISM)- In-depth case study over 2 years in an unstructured way
Usefulness- Supports theories, but only study with a child - Many criticisms of the psychoanalytic method - Other explanations, attachment theory, classical conditioning
How does Hans resolve his subconscious conflict?- He identifies with his father and imitates his behaviour