Background: Aim: Validity:
Oedipus Complex = Freuds To document Little Hans, who was suffering from -Lack population validity as it was a case study on Little Hans, therefore we
psychosexual stages. anxiety that led to a phobia. cannot generalise Freud’s interpretation to the wider population.
-Phallic stage Freud wanted to further his understanding of -Lacks external validity as it was a case study so we cannot generalise
-Castration anxiety Oedipus Complex and theory of infantile sexuality. interpretations of dreams and fantasies outside the study.
-Identification with father -Lack of internal validity as there may have been demand characteristics as
-Lust for mother Sample: he may have been influenced by leading questions so given the answer that
Little Hans, a 3-year-old child, from Vienna, Austria. Hans’ father may have wanted to hear.
Freud was friends with his father, and he received
Method: reports on Hans via Hans’ father.
-Case study
-Longitudinal Reliability:
-Observations were -Too small sample
conducted by Hans’ father -Lack of internal reliability as there is a lack of control and no
from weekly reports. standardised instructions for reports needed or interpretations.
Freud would report back -Lacks internal reliability as they used unstructured interviews
interpreting dream/ between Hans’ father and Freud as Freud wanted to hear everything
fantasies. that Hans was saying about his dreams and fantasies.
Little Hans (Freud)
Dreams/Fantasies
Widdler = Found playing with penis. “If you do that, I shall send for Dr A to chop it off.”
Initial conflict and fear of castration anxiety.
-Developed fear of being bitten by horse (castration anxiety).
Giraffe = “in the night, there was a big giraffe and a crumpled one. The big one called out
because I took the crumpled one away from it and sat on it.”
Ethics:
-Informed consent would have to have been given by Hans’ parents as
Horse Phobia = Freud learned that Hans was disturbed by what horses wear in front of
he was only a 3-year-old when the study began. We know that his
their eyes and round their mouth. Also afraid of carts, furniture and buses as he feared
father gave reports so we can assume he gave informed consent, but
they would fall over.
we don’t know how Hans’ mother felt about the research.
-Hans’ father could have caused psychological harm if he asked Hans
Defecation = Hans became preoccupied with faeces as he witnessed mum widdling and
further questions about his dreams, which could have been stressful
lumfing. He had constipation during development. Fear of defecation from cart falling over.
and invasive.
-
Plumer = “I was in bath and plumber came with a borer and stuck it into my stomach.”
Fear of bath due to being punished for wishing on death of his sister.
-“Took away my behind and replaced it with a bigger one, same with my widdler”
-Resolved phobia and overcome castration complex. Happy outcome as exchange for a
bigger one.
Oedipus Complex = Freuds To document Little Hans, who was suffering from -Lack population validity as it was a case study on Little Hans, therefore we
psychosexual stages. anxiety that led to a phobia. cannot generalise Freud’s interpretation to the wider population.
-Phallic stage Freud wanted to further his understanding of -Lacks external validity as it was a case study so we cannot generalise
-Castration anxiety Oedipus Complex and theory of infantile sexuality. interpretations of dreams and fantasies outside the study.
-Identification with father -Lack of internal validity as there may have been demand characteristics as
-Lust for mother Sample: he may have been influenced by leading questions so given the answer that
Little Hans, a 3-year-old child, from Vienna, Austria. Hans’ father may have wanted to hear.
Freud was friends with his father, and he received
Method: reports on Hans via Hans’ father.
-Case study
-Longitudinal Reliability:
-Observations were -Too small sample
conducted by Hans’ father -Lack of internal reliability as there is a lack of control and no
from weekly reports. standardised instructions for reports needed or interpretations.
Freud would report back -Lacks internal reliability as they used unstructured interviews
interpreting dream/ between Hans’ father and Freud as Freud wanted to hear everything
fantasies. that Hans was saying about his dreams and fantasies.
Little Hans (Freud)
Dreams/Fantasies
Widdler = Found playing with penis. “If you do that, I shall send for Dr A to chop it off.”
Initial conflict and fear of castration anxiety.
-Developed fear of being bitten by horse (castration anxiety).
Giraffe = “in the night, there was a big giraffe and a crumpled one. The big one called out
because I took the crumpled one away from it and sat on it.”
Ethics:
-Informed consent would have to have been given by Hans’ parents as
Horse Phobia = Freud learned that Hans was disturbed by what horses wear in front of
he was only a 3-year-old when the study began. We know that his
their eyes and round their mouth. Also afraid of carts, furniture and buses as he feared
father gave reports so we can assume he gave informed consent, but
they would fall over.
we don’t know how Hans’ mother felt about the research.
-Hans’ father could have caused psychological harm if he asked Hans
Defecation = Hans became preoccupied with faeces as he witnessed mum widdling and
further questions about his dreams, which could have been stressful
lumfing. He had constipation during development. Fear of defecation from cart falling over.
and invasive.
-
Plumer = “I was in bath and plumber came with a borer and stuck it into my stomach.”
Fear of bath due to being punished for wishing on death of his sister.
-“Took away my behind and replaced it with a bigger one, same with my widdler”
-Resolved phobia and overcome castration complex. Happy outcome as exchange for a
bigger one.
