1. A / AS Psychology.. Core Studies
Developmental Psychology
The study
Sigmund Freud (1909)

2. Analysis of a phobia of a five year old boy
Sigmund Freud (1909)
Analysis of a phobia of a five year old boy

3. 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)

4. Stage 3 : The PHALLIC stage Age 3 - 5
The child adopts same sex parent characteristics due to
The Oedipus conflict (boys)
The Electra conflict (girls)

5. 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

6. 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

7. Little Hans This is the ONLY case study of a child undertaken by Freud
Freud’s ideas about infant sexuality were based on his work with adult women
(and his own self analysis)

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

9. TERMS USED WIDDLER = PENIS WIDDLING = PEEING LUMF = FAECES (POO)
COAXING = CUDDLING
NONSENSE = FEAR OF HORSES
CASTRATION = HAVING PENIS CUT OFF

10. 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

11. 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’

12. 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”

13. 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

14. 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

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

16. Little Hans Little Hans phobia of horses was really fear of father
Freud’s 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

17. 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’

18. 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?

19. Little Hans: Criticisms
BUT
Freud did deal with real people & their problems
Not neat & tidy but has
“ecological validity”

20. Little Hans: Criticisms
AND unlike adult ‘case studies’
No searching through ‘past memory’ Hans father simply asked Hans!

21. Little Hans: Other explanations
Perhaps Hans dreams about widdlers & widdling were caused by his fear that his mother might cut off his penis?
But - Freud’s theory was that mothers were the primary love object of little boys, (not that Mother could be feared)

22. 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!

23. Little Hans - Ethical issues
Treatment not very child friendly
(and included leading questions)
Freud’s 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

24. 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”

25. THE END