Psychodynamic explanations

• Freud suggested that children go through 5 psycho-sexual stages. The third stage, 'phallic stage', is when "gender development" occurs between ages 3-6.
• Prior to the 'phallic stage' children have no concept of gender identity, they have no understanding of "male" or "female" so they don't categorise themselves as either.
• In the phallic stage, the focus of pleasure is the genitals, within this stage children experience the 'Oedipus Complex' (for boys) and the 'Elektra Complex' (for girls).
• Oedipus Complex

  • Boys develop incestuous feelings toward their mother. And they harbour a hatred for their farther who "possess" the mother.
  • Boys recognise that their farther is more "powerful" than them and they fear that if the farther finds out about the boys feelings then hes going to get castrated. (Castration anxiety.)
  • The conflict is resolved by the boy giving up his love for his mother and identifying with the farther.
• Elektra Complex

  • Girls experience penis envy and they see themselves as in "competition" with their mothers for their farthers love.
  • Girls also resent their mothers because they believe they were castrated by them.
  • The girl then over time accepts that they will never have a penis and substitute penis envy with the desire to have children (identification with their mother).
• Internalisation

  The identification boys and girls experience with their same gender parent involves a process called internalisation.
• A03

  Limitation) Lacks scientific credibility

  Freud has been criticised for using case studies to make assumptions of whole populations. Also, his concepts like "penis envy" are un-testable because they are unconscious.

  ->This questions the validity of Freud's theory because its not based on scientific evidence.
• A03

  Limitation) Doesn't account for female development

  The idea of "penis envy" was criticised for being a product of his time where men held the most power. It's argued that boys experiencing "womb envy" is more prominent (the ability to nurture life)

  ->Challenges the idea that a women's development is based on wanting to be a man.