Psychodynamic Explanation of Gender Development

• What is the phallic stage in Freud's psychosexual stages?

  When gender development occurs
• At what ages does the phallic stage occur?

  Between ages 3 - 6
• What concept do children lack prior to the phallic stage?

  Concept of gender identity
• What complexes do children experience within the phallic stage?

  Oedipus complex or Electra complex
• What do boys desire in the Oedipus complex?

  Closeness with the opposite sex parent
• Who is considered a rival in the Oedipus complex?

  The same-sex parent
• What do boys fear in the Oedipus complex?

  That their father will castrate them
• How do boys reduce anxiety in the Oedipus complex?

  By using defense mechanisms and identifying with their father
• What is the outcome of boys internalizing male characteristics in the Oedipus complex?

  They come out of the Oedipus complex
• What do girls desire in the Electra complex?

  Closeness with the opposite sex parent
• What do girls experience in the Electra complex?

  Penis envy
• What do girls fear in the Electra complex?

  Fear of losing their mother's love
• How do girls reduce anxiety in the Electra complex?

  By identifying with their mother
• What is identification in the context of Freud's theory?

  Desire to be associated with a person
• How do children resolve their respective complexes?

  By identifying with the same-gender parent
• What does internalization mean in Freud's theory?

  Adopting attitudes and behavior of another
• What do children take on board from their same-gender parent?

  Their gender identity
• What does Freud's explanation of gender development suggest for boys?

  • Normal development depends on a male parent
  • Absence of a father may impact gender identity
• What did Rekers & Morley (1990) find regarding boys and father figures?

  75% of 'gender disturbed' boys lacked a father
• What did Bos & Sandfort (2010) conclude about children raised by lesbians?

  • Felt less pressure to conform to stereotypes
  • No differences in psychosocial adjustment
• How does Bos & Sandfort's (2010) study contradict Freud's theory?

  Fathers are not necessary for gender identity
• Who theorized on girls' parallel development alongside Freud?

  Carl Jung
• What did Horney (1942) argue about penis envy?

  Womb envy is a more powerful emotion
• What does Horney's argument challenge in Freud's theory?

  Desire to be like a man in gender development
• What criticisms does Freud's theory face regarding scientific validity?

  • Uses subjective case studies
  • Concepts are largely untestable
  • Lacks scientific evidence
• How does Freud's theory contrast with other gender explanations?

  Other theories are based on verifiable evidence
• What is a limitation for the Psychodynamic Explanation for Gender?

  Pseudoscientific

  • Freud has often been criticised for using subjective case studies
  • Many of his concepts are untestable, as they are largely unconscious, which contrasts with other explanations of gender that are based on verifiable evidence derived from lab studies
  • This questions the validity of Freud’s theory as it is not based on scientific evidence
• What is a limitation for the Psychodynamic Explanation for Gender?

  Female Development

  • Although Freud wrote extensively on the Oedipus complex, much of the theorising on girls’ parallel development was undertaken by Carl Jung, and Freud admitted women were a mystery to him
  • Horney (1942) argued that a more powerful emotion than penis envy is men’s experience of womb envy, and both were a result of cultural rather than biological factors
  • This challenges the idea that women’s gender development is founded on a desire to want to be like a man
• What is a limitation for the Psychodynamic Explanation for Gender?

  Role of Fathers

  • The relationship between absent fathers and problems of gender identity is not generally supported
  • Bos & Sandfort (2010) compared data from 63 children where both parents were lesbians and 68 children from traditional families, in which children raised by lesbians felt less pressure to conform to gender stereotypes, but there were no differences in terms of psychosocial adjustment
  • This contradicts Freud’s theory as it suggests that fathers are not necessary for healthy gender identity development
• What is a strength for the Psychodynamic Explanation for Gender?

  The Oedipus Complex

  • Freud’s explanation of gender development means that for boys, normal development depends on being raised by at least one male parent
  • Rekers & Morley (1990) rated the gender identity of 49 boys aged 3 - 11 based on interviews with their families and the children themselves, in which 75% of those who were ‘gender disturbed’ had no father figure living with them
  • This suggests that being raised with no father may have a negative impact upon gender identity, which is in line with what Freud’s theory would predict