Freud’s Key Psychoanalytic Themes in His Analysis of ‘Little Hans’
Freud’s key psychoanalytic themes in his analysis of ‘Little Hans’
Sigmund Freud, founder of the psychodynamic approach collected works of theories for the foundation of psychoanalysis. Freud theorised on a wide scale of topics which he used to develop during the course of his writing. Freud’s early childhood of his case study ‘Little Hans’ investigates the unconscious drives and motivations that causes phobias, anxieties, fantasies and sexual desires. This essay aims to illustrate Freud’s psychodynamic approach of the unconscious mind, structure of personality and the how these themes have been influential in the understanding of childhood development. Freud’s theories were based on his observations of adult patients, children and the self-analysis of himself, in developing his theoretical ideas. This essay will go on to analyse the efficiency of psychoanalytic theories in Freud’s analysis of the ‘Little Hans’ case study.
Sigmund Freud’s (1909) case study, ‘Little Hans’ is the analysis of a five year old boy who suffered a phobia of horses’. Freud argued that Little Hans’ phobia of horses was caused by a displaced fear of his father. Clinical material derived directly from the treatment of the child, which served as the evidence Sigmund Freud required to support his theories on infantile sexuality Jarvis, 2000, p.149-295 vol3. The case history of ‘Little Hans can also be seen to support other elements of Freud’s theories, such as unconscious mental processes. Freud believed that the unconscious mind determines much of our behaviour and that we are motivated by unconscious emotional drives. Freud believed that the unconscious contains unresolved conflicts and has a powerful effect on our behaviour and experience. He argued that many of these conflicts will show up in our fantasies and dreams, but the conflicts are so threatening that they appear in disguised forms, in the shape of symbols Sigmund 1977 p168. Freud proposed that the adult personality has three
Sigmund Freud, founder of the psychodynamic approach collected works of theories for the foundation of psychoanalysis. Freud theorised on a wide scale of topics which he used to develop during the course of his writing. Freud’s early childhood of his case study ‘Little Hans’ investigates the unconscious drives and motivations that causes phobias, anxieties, fantasies and sexual desires. This essay aims to illustrate Freud’s psychodynamic approach of the unconscious mind, structure of personality and the how these themes have been influential in the understanding of childhood development. Freud’s theories were based on his observations of adult patients, children and the self-analysis of himself, in developing his theoretical ideas. This essay will go on to analyse the efficiency of psychoanalytic theories in Freud’s analysis of the ‘Little Hans’ case study.
Sigmund Freud’s (1909) case study, ‘Little Hans’ is the analysis of a five year old boy who suffered a phobia of horses’. Freud argued that Little Hans’ phobia of horses was caused by a displaced fear of his father. Clinical material derived directly from the treatment of the child, which served as the evidence Sigmund Freud required to support his theories on infantile sexuality Jarvis, 2000, p.149-295 vol3. The case history of ‘Little Hans can also be seen to support other elements of Freud’s theories, such as unconscious mental processes. Freud believed that the unconscious mind determines much of our behaviour and that we are motivated by unconscious emotional drives. Freud believed that the unconscious contains unresolved conflicts and has a powerful effect on our behaviour and experience. He argued that many of these conflicts will show up in our fantasies and dreams, but the conflicts are so threatening that they appear in disguised forms, in the shape of symbols Sigmund 1977 p168. Freud proposed that the adult personality has three