Evaluation

• Bias


  • Freud interpreted Little Hans in a way that supported his idea
  • He ignored that Hans' mother routinely threatened him with castration
  • It is more plausible that Hans was scared by the horse collapsing, and his phobia developed directly from that
• Support for Oedipus complex


  • Rekers & Morey - rated the gender identity of 49 boys aged 3-11
  • 75% of those judged 'gender-disturbed' had no biological or substitute father living with them
  • This suggests that being raised with no father may have a negative impact on gender identity
• Counterpoint to Rekers & Morey


  • Bos & Sandfort - compared 63 children with lesbian parents and 68 children from 'traditional families'
  • Found no differences in psychosocial adjustment or gender identity, contradicting Freud's views
• Limited explanation for female development

  • 'Penis envy' has been criticised for merely reflecting the era Freud lived in - patriarchal
  • Horney argued men's 'womb envy' was more prominent
  • This challenges the idea that female gender development was founded on a desire to be like men (androcentric)