Psychodynamic explanation for gender development

• Outline Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development.

  Freud proposed that gender development is an unconscious process that occurs in the phallic stage of the psychosexual stages i.e. at 4-5yrs of age.

  This is because it is within this stage that boys experience the Oedipus complex and girls experience the Electra complex.
• Outline Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development.


  During the Oedipus complex, boys develop incestuous feelings for their mother but because they recognise that their father is more powerful, it creates castration anxiety.

  To resolve this, boys repress their feelings for their mother and due to a desire to be like their father, identify with him. This then leads them to internalise his male gender role, thus developing a masculine gender identity.
• Outline Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development.

  During the Electra complex, girls develop penis envy. However, over time, they replace their desire for a penis with a desire for a baby.

  They therefore view themselves as similar to their mother so identify with her. This then leads them to internalise her gender role, thus developing a feminine gender identity.
• Explain what is meant by ‘identification’ as part of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development.


  Identification refers to when an individual views themselves as similar or wishes to be like someone.

  In Freud’s gender theory, this refers to how boys wish to be like their father/identify with him and how girls view themselves as similar to their mother/identify with her.
• Explain what is meant by ‘internalisation’ as part of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development.


  Internalisation refers to when an individual adopts the beliefs/behaviours of another individual, typically after they have identified with them.

  In Freud’s gender theory, this refers to when boys adopt their father’s masculine attitudes and behaviours and when girls adopt their mother’s feminine attitudes and behaviours.
• Evaluate Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development: supporting evidence from the case study of Little Hans. 


  This is because Freud reported that Little Hans, aged 5 years old, had dreams symbolising him taking his mother (smaller giraffe) away from his father (bigger giraffe). This is a strength because Hans was at the age Freud suggested the Oedipus complex occurs and the findings of him wanting to take his mother away from his father accurately reflects what is proposed to happen during the Oedipus complex before a masculine gender identity is formed. .
• Evaluate Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development: supporting evidence from the case study of Little Hans is at risk of researcher bias. 


  This is because the case study was analysed by Freud himself. This is a limitation because it may have meant that Freud analysed Hans’ dreams in a way that would support his own theory.
• Evaluate Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development: unscientific explanation.


  Concepts such as the Oedipus complex and Electra complex are unconscious and therefore not possible to test and falsify. This is a limitation because it means that the theory lacks scientific value. Biological psychologists focus on the role of chromosomes and hormones in gender development. This is a strength over psychoanalytic explanations because such biological factors can be objectively tested and therefore has more scientific value.
• Evaluate Freud’s psychoanalytic theory for gender development: overestimated the age at which gender identity is formed. 


  This is because children start to show gender stereotypical behaviours much earlier than 4-5 years of age (e.g. young boys refusing to play with dolls). This is a limitation because it suggests that a child does not develop their gender at 4-5 years of age. The gender schema theory proposes that children actively process gender information after they are able to identify their gender at approximately 2-3 years of age.