LittleHans developed a phobia of horses, and Freud interpreted this behaviour. Hans’ father reported that Hans had a fascination with his ‘widdler’ (penis). He had noticed that animals, including horses, had a much larger penis than him. This was an indication that he was in the phallic stage of development.
Practical applications
Freud’s ideas led to the development of psychotherapy. This involves the therapist helping a patient bring repressed memories into their consciousness to be dealt with.
Case studies limitation
Lack generalisability
Population validity
Freud based his theory on observations of middleclass people.
Cannot be scientifically tested.
This is because the Id, Ego and superego are abstract concepts that cannot be measured. Defence mechanisms are unconscious processes and, therefore, cannot be directly studied.
Free will v determinism
The Psychodynamic approach is too deterministic. This is because the approach suggested people are prisoners of their childhood experiences, unable to escape them and saying their lives will be determined by them. This means that individuals do not have free will in their behaviour.
