KEY STUDY: Analysis of a phobia in a five year-old boy Sigmund Freud

Learning objectives  Outline the aims and procedure of Freud’s case study of Little Hans.  To be able to use our knowledge of the psychodynamic approach to explain Hans’ behaviour.  To be able to describe at least on key finding of the Little Hans case study.

Background  Freud had a theory of psychosexual stages of child development:  oral0–18 months  anal2–3 years  phallic3–5 years  latency5–12 years  genital12–18 years Freud suggests most of the mind is in the inaccessible ‘unconscious’ and this is where the psychodynamic conflict occurs.

Aspects of the Phallic stage  unconscious conflicts and desires  primary erogenous zone is genital  unconscious desire for opposite-sex parent develops leading to hatred/jealousy of same-sex parent, leading to guilt and fear of retribution from the father leading to  castration fear resulting eventually in ‘gender identification’  i.e. the resolution of the conflict leads to adopting the behaviours of same-sex parent 

AIMS  Primary aim: to interpret a five year-old boy’s phobia of horses and help him to overcome it.  Subsidiary aim: to record evidence to support Freud’s theory of psychosexual development, including the ‘Oedipus Complex’. A

PROCEDURE Method case study  This is an example of a case study  A case study is a detailed study in which an individual or small group are studied over a long period of time.  Look up the case study section in your Brain text book p in your own time. APAP

PROCEDURE Method  How data was gathered:  Freud analysed Little Hans using letters from Hans’ father who asked Hans questions and noted down Hans’ conversations, dreams and behaviours.  Most of the information about Hans’ behaviour throughout his early life was given to Freud in weekly reports by his father.  Freud also used one interview APAP

Participant – Little Hans  Little Hans was born in He was:  aged 3 when first reports made  aged 3½ when castration threat made  aged 3½ when sister Hannah born  aged 3¾ when had first dream  aged 4 when moved house  aged 4½ when visited Gmunden and Hans heard the warning about the biting horse  aged 4¾ when saw falling horse and developed phobia of horses  aged 5 at the end of analysis. APAP

According to Freud, what could we say 5-year old Little Hans is going through? Discuss in your groups.

Findings: Little Hans’ ‘widdler’ obsession  The first reports of Hans are when he was 3 years old, when he developed an active interest in his ‘widdler’ and ‘widdling’.  He often touched his widdler and asked other (e.g. his mother) if they also had a widdler.  He looked at animals, tables, engines etc. for a widdler and widdling.  When Hans was around 3 ½, his mother told him not to touch his widdler or else she would call the doctor to come and cut it off. What fear could this have installed in Hans? Think about phallic stage.  Freud suggested this is when the castration anxiety began. APRAPR C

Mother, will you touch my widdler? But it’s great fun! No, that would be priggish. Age 4 ½…. APRAPR

Hanna  When Hans was around 3 ½, his mother gave birth to his sister, Hanna  When Hanna was seven days old, he watched her bath and noticed that she had a very small ‘widdler’.  Hans was jealous and at first didn’t want Hanna but after six months had got over his jealousy.  He fantasised about her being dropped in the bath – like lumpf in the toilet! Why do you think he associated the baby with lumpf? Think about the Oedipus Complex. Freud concluded that Hans wished his sister dead because, like his father, she stood in the way of Hans being alone with his mother APRAPR C

Hans’ fear of baths  When Hans is 4¾, he had developed a fear of baths.  Hans’ father suggests this is because Hans wants his mother to drop Hanna in bath and so is frightened she might do the same to him. APRAPR

Hans’ friends  Hans was friends with lots of children, both girls and boys. (Freud said this was his first indication of homosexuality.)  The children of their landlord at the summer house in Gmunden were friends.  Hans wanted to sleep in the bed with them, which Freud interpreted as erotic desire, as Hans slept in parents bed, (his father objected to this) which is also erotic according to Freud. APRAPR

Hans’s phobia  Around the age of 5, Hans developed a fear that a horse would bite him in the street.  Hans said that he saw a white horse at Gmunden and his friend Lizzi was told ‘don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you’.  Hans also had an anxiety dream that his mother had gone away. APRAPR According to Freud, what do you think might be causing these anxieties?

Freud’s interpretation  Hans was repressing his desire to masturbate as his parents had told him not to, so this was causing anxiety at night-time.  Hans’ obsession with penises had lead to a fear of horses as they have big ones.  Hans associated being told not to ‘put his finger’ to his penis with the white horse biting and developed a castration complex. APRCAPRC

 Hans had multiple dreams and fantasies  Freud described a fantasy as a sort of daydream. APRAPR

Giraffe dream APRAPR

 Freud’s interpretation was that the little giraffe = mother’s genitals, big giraffe = father’s penis, sitting on =possession of mother. APRCAPRC

Plumber fantasy  Hans dreams that a plumber came and took his bottom and penis away and replaced them with bigger ones.  Freud’s interpretation was that Hans’s castration complex is overcome and he now realises that he will not lose his penis, it will just get bigger. APRAPR

Final fantasy  Hans’ final fantasy was about having children and being the daddy. Hans’ mother was his children’s mummy and his father was the ‘granddaddy’!  Freud interpreted this as Hans having overcome the Oedipus complex by imagining himself in his father’s position. APRAPR

Hans meets Freud  Hans met Freud just once.  Hans said that he is particularly frightened of white horses with blinkers and black mouths.  Freud told Hans that he was afraid of his father (who had pale face, moustache and glasses) because Hans was so fond of his mother. APRAPR

Improvement in Hans After the meeting with Freud, Hans’ phobia improves. Hans admits he is frightened his father will leave him, ‘Don’t trot away from me.’ APRAPR

Conclusions  Hans was a ‘little Oedipus’ according to Freud.  Hans was at the phallic stage of development.  Unconsciously his fear of castration within the Oedipus conflict showed in his fear of horses.  By the age of five, with some help, Hans had overcome the Oedipus conflict and passed out of phallic stage. Issues with his father were resolved.  I suggest you read further about this case study this pp only skims the surface APRCAPRC

Learning objectives  Outline the aims and procedure of Freud’s case study of Little Hans.  Explain at least one interpretation of Hans’ behaviour given by Freud.  To be able to relate Hans’ behaviour to Freud’s psychosexual stages.

Some issues  leading questions may have been used  parents’ obsession with Hans’s masturbation  Hans’ father subjective/biased account of information, which he passes to Freud  Hans’ parents were supporters of Freud, so may have reported things, or interpreted things, that would support Freud’s theory – demand characteristics

Complete the page 12 gap fill on the Little Hans study. Extra: complete pages on alternative explanations. Even more!: create an evaluation of Freud’s case study on Little Hans.