Psychodynamic Explanation of Gender Development

• What is Freuds psychoanalytic theory?

  Gender development occurs in the phallic stage

  Prior to this children have no concept of gender identity

  Pre-phallic there is no clear differences between males and females
• What is the oedipus complex?


  Boys

  Desire mother, hate father- aggressive feelings towards father

  Fears if dad finds out desire for mother he will castrate him

  Resolves conflict via identification with father

  Internalises with father and superego forms and takes on male gender identity
• What is the electra complex?


  Girls

  Think they have been castrated and experience penis envy

  Desire father and becomes hostile towards mother

  Identifies with mother

  Takes on female gender identity and desire for a baby
• How do girls and boys resolve these conflicts?

  By associating (identification) with the same sex parent as means of resolving the complexes

  Develop superego and adopt same sex parents morals and gender identity and role through internalisation
• Research

  Rekers and Moray

  Establish whether there is a relationship between gender disturbance and family background

  46 boys with gender disturbance

  Family background also investigated

  75% Had no biological father nor a substitute living with them

  Meaning the oedipus complex conflict wouldn't be resolved as he can't identify with the same sex parent
• What is a strength of Freuds psychoanalytic theory?

  Research support

  Little Hans case study

  5 year old fear of getting bitten by a horse

  Fear of being bitten represented fear of castration from his father due to his love for his mom

  Fear shifted via displacement

  However it as it is a case study has individual differences as it is based on one person and hard to generalise

  Shows support for oedipus complex and theory as it must be used with caution when generalising
• What is a limitation of the psychoanalytic theory?

  Many of the concepts he refers to are due to their unconscious nature and are untestable so can't be objective and based on lab studies

  Freuds theory is Pseudoscient as it isn't genuine science as his key ideas can't be falsified and proved by scientific testing
• What is a limitation of the psychoanalytic theory?


  Not supported by evidence from non-nuclear families

  Golombok

  Children from single parent families went on to develop normal gender identities

  The theory suggests that children in a single-parent family they wouldn't be able to resolve the phallic stage conflict and not take on their gender identity