Psychosexual Stages (OCR A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes
5.4.4 Psychosexual Stages
Psychosexual stages of development:
| Stage | Description | Consequence of unresolved conflict |
|---|---|---|
| Oral 0-1 years | Area of pleasure = Mouth. Pleasure from: Mother's breast | Oral fixation • smoking, biting nails, sarcastic, critical |
| Anal 1-3 years | Area of pleasure = Anus. Pleasure from: Withholding and letting out faeces. | Anal retentive • perfectionist, obsessive Anal expulsive • thoughtless, messy |
| Phallic 3-6 years | Area of pleasure = Genitals. Pleasure from: Masturbation. | Phallic personality • narcissistic, reckless, possibly homosexual |
| Latent 6-12 years | Sexual development becomes dormant (Slows or stops). | |
| Genital 12+ years | Area of pleasure = Genitals. Pleasure from: Sexual intercourse. | Difficulty forming relationships |
The Oedipus Complex:
In the phallic stage, boys develop feelings for their mother and hatred for their father. Due to fearing that their father will castrate them, boys repress their feelings for their mothers and identify with their fathers.
Little Hans: 1909
- Analysis of a 5 year old boy with a phobia of horses
- A case study - by Freud Freud supported his concept of the Oedipus complex with his study of Little Hans. Little Hans developed a phobia of horses in the phallic stage of development and Freud suggested that Hans had displaced his fear of his father onto horses. Therefore, horses were only a symbolic representation of Hans' real unconscious fear which was the fear of castration
Evaluation: Little Hans
Negative evaluation:
1)
P: There may be other explanations.
E: For instance, Hans' phobia could potentially be better explained by classical conditioning. Behaviourists would suggest that Hans' fear was caused by having a bad experience in the past with horses, so the horse (neutral stimulus) has become associated with a frightening event, resulting in a response of fear.
E: This is a limitation as it shows that the fear developed by little Hans may be better explained by behaviourism and the process of classical conditioning, potentially suggesting that Hans' phobia had no association with the Oedipus complex and is instead a conditioned response caused by a frightening experience with a horse, weakening the case study as support for the approach.
2)
P: Freud's research support from his investigation into Little Hans was highly subjective.
E: This is because it was collected second-hand through Hans' father, and thus the data could have been interpreted to fit with Freud's existing theory. This is because Hans' father was already a supporter of Freud's work and was also familiar with the Oedipus complex.
E: Therefore, it is possible that this influenced the information he provided to Freud. For example, Hans' father may have asked him leading questions, seeing an Oedipus complex where one didn't exist. This is a weakness as it reduces the validity of the findings
Evaluation of the approach as a whole:
P: The psychodynamic approach has practical application in the form of psychoanalysis
E: This treats mental disorders psychologically rather than physically. For instance, Freudian therapists have used dream analysis to access the unconscious mind, which they have claimed to be successful with many patients.
E: This is a strength because it provides therapists with alternative options to consider when attempting to treat a patient, which may mean a greater chance of recovery. Though, this may not be useful for all types of mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, as they may struggle to articulate their thoughts in the way that is required for psychoanalysis, presenting a weakness of the practical application
P: Many of the approach's core concepts are abstract and untestable.
E: As a result, they can't be directly measured and empirical evidence can't be gained to support the key concepts of the theory, especially since the main method of investigation used by the approach is case studies, such as Little Hans.
E: This is a weakness as it makes it hard to know how accurate the explanations are as they aren't falsifiable. It is also difficult to generalise to others in order to make universal claims about human behaviour, ultimately reducing the scientific credibility of psychology