Freud (1909) - PHOBIAS

• background ; 1

  → hysteria was a common 'illness' suffered by the woman in the 1880s

  • symptoms included ; memory loss ,, numbness ,, paralyses of the limbs & tremors

  → as no medical explanation could be found ,, many doctors thought they were faking their symptoms for attention or to avoid things in their personal lives
• background ; 2


  → freud believed the women were genuine and developed a therapy called psychoanalysis

  → involved focused on getting the women to remember the first time that their symtoms occured ,, whilst under hypnosis

  → may have been at an upsetting time ,, so memory had been repressed

  → when remembered ,, emotions it brought iwth it seems cathartic and the symptom disappeared
• freud ; the mind


  → freud believed there was 3 parts of the mind ;

  • the conscious - part we control and are aware off
  • the preconscious - just below the conscious ,, semi-aware of
  • the unconscious - unaware of
• freud ; the personality

  → ID ; the impulsive ,, most primitive part of the personality

  • doesnt know right from wrong
  • demands instant gratification
  • operates on the pleasure principle

  → EGO ; develops soon after birth

  • acts as a mediator between the ID and the world
  • tries to balance conflict between the ID and the Superego
  • operates on the reality principle

  → SUPEREGO ; moral/judgemental part of the personality

  • if we don't behave according to rules ,, superego punishes us with guilt and anxiety
• psychosexual development ; 1

  → 5 stages of psychosexual development ;

  • the oral stage ( BIRTH - 1 YEAR )
  • the anal stage ( 1 - 3 YEARS )
  • the phallic stage ( 3 - 5 YEARS )
  • the latency period ( 5 YEARS - PUBERTY )
  • the genital stage ( PUBERTY - DEATH)

  → Old ,, Aged ,, Pensioners ,, Loves ,, Gardening
• psychosexual stages

  → ORAL ;

  • fixation on the mouth
  • important influences - breastfeeding ,, weaning onto solids

  → ANAL ;

  • fixation on the anus
  • influences - potty training

  → PHALLIC ;

  • fixation on the phallus
  • important influences - oepidus // elektra complex

  → LATENT ;

  • little or no sexual motivation present

  → GENITAL ;

  • fixation on the genitals
  • important influences - sexual relationships
• oepidus complex (boys)

  → boy starts to develop sexual desire for his mother

  → boy becomes jealous of his father ,, he fears castration by his father if he finds out about his desires

  → boys in a state of conflict but deals with this by identifying with his father & internalising his characteristics

  → boy substitutes his desire for his mother with a desire for other women and the oepidus complex is resolved
• elektra complex (girls)

  → girl starts to develop a sexual desire for her father

  → girl realises she has not penis and develops penis envy and is jealous of her mother

  → the girls in a state of conflict as she realises she can have not her father or a penis and deals with this by identifying with her mother

  → girl substitues her desire for a penis with a desire for a baby and her desire for her father woth a desire for other men
• problems with the oedipus complex ;

  → androcentric ; male-centred ,, only applies to MALES

  → biased ; towards 'nuclear' families

  → unfalsifiable ; can't be proven or disproven
• aim ; 


  → to report the findings of the treatment of a five year old boy for his phobia of horses
• method ;


  → case study ; studying one or a small group of participants thorougly.

  • carried out by his dad who was a friend and a supporter of Freud ,, who only met the boy once
  • hans' father reported to Freud VIA correspondence ,, then Freud SUBJECTIVELY INTERPRETED this information & gave directions as how to deal with situation based on his interpretations of the fathers reports

  → Freud noticed that it was the special relationship between Hans and his father that allowed the analysis to progress & for discussions with boy to be so detailed & intimate

  • first reports of Hans are when he was 3
• method ; analysis 


  → STRENGTHS ;

  • produces lots of qualitative data ,, increases the validity - in depth account of behaviour
  • focusing on 1 participant ,, deeper understanding of participant ,, improves validity

  → WEAKNESSES ;

  • lacks generaliseability ,, as it's often on 1 person or a small group - the results can be applied to others
  • can be very subjective due to the collection of qualitative data ,, interpreting the information gathered can be difference amongst different analysts
• hans' dreams and fantasies ;

  → giraffe dream ;

  • a big giraffe and a crumpled one. hans took the crumpled one away and the big one called out
  • FREUD'S EXPLANATION - crumpled ones the mum and big ones the dad and he's jealous of the dad

  → married to his mother ;

  • hans fantasised he was married to his mum ,, had his own kids and his father had the role of grandfather
  • FREUD'S EXPLANATION - phallic stage ,, trying to get the dad out of the way

  → PLUMBER ;

  • a plumber came and removed his bottom and 'widdler' and replaced them with larger ones
  • FREUD'S EXPLANATION - latency stage