Little Hans
Sigmund Freud’s, “Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year-Old Boy”
Phil Feria
Psychology 310A
Grayson Schick, M.A.
February 5, 2011
Abstract
Little Hans was a young boy who was the subject of a study of castration anxiety and the Oedipus complex by Sigmund Freud. This important publication was the first of clinical material that derived directly from the treatment of a child and was presented by evidence as support of Freud’s theories of infantile sexuality. Another theme within Freud 's work concerns the unconscious mind, which is the part of our mind which we are not aware of. Freud believed that the unconscious contains unresolved conflicts and has a powerful effect on our behavior and experiences. He also believed that children experience emotional conflicts, and their future adjustment depends on how well these conflicts are resolved. Hans was a 5-year-old boy who was having trouble with a phobia of horses. In Little Hans case, the primary goal is to find a detailed analysis of treating his phobia. Since Sigmund Freud’s beneficial input in this case was at a minimal, and a secondary goal was to explore what factors led to the phobia in the first place, and what exact factors would have led to its remission.
Sigmund Freud’s,
“Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year-Old Boy”
In “Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year Old Boy,” Sigmund Freud noted that Little Hans father had been sending Freud reports about his son’s interest in sexual matters. When Hans was almost 5, his father wrote to Freud explaining his anxiety concerns about his son. Han’s is afraid a horse will bite him in the street, and this fear seems somehow connected with his having been frightened by a large penis. The father went on to provide Freud with extensive details of the conversation with Hans. It was not only of his body, but the bodies of others as well. His curiosity was centered on the anatomical differences between the sexes-then suddenly developed a phobia of being bitten by a
Phil Feria
Psychology 310A
Grayson Schick, M.A.
February 5, 2011
Abstract
Little Hans was a young boy who was the subject of a study of castration anxiety and the Oedipus complex by Sigmund Freud. This important publication was the first of clinical material that derived directly from the treatment of a child and was presented by evidence as support of Freud’s theories of infantile sexuality. Another theme within Freud 's work concerns the unconscious mind, which is the part of our mind which we are not aware of. Freud believed that the unconscious contains unresolved conflicts and has a powerful effect on our behavior and experiences. He also believed that children experience emotional conflicts, and their future adjustment depends on how well these conflicts are resolved. Hans was a 5-year-old boy who was having trouble with a phobia of horses. In Little Hans case, the primary goal is to find a detailed analysis of treating his phobia. Since Sigmund Freud’s beneficial input in this case was at a minimal, and a secondary goal was to explore what factors led to the phobia in the first place, and what exact factors would have led to its remission.
Sigmund Freud’s,
“Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year-Old Boy”
In “Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year Old Boy,” Sigmund Freud noted that Little Hans father had been sending Freud reports about his son’s interest in sexual matters. When Hans was almost 5, his father wrote to Freud explaining his anxiety concerns about his son. Han’s is afraid a horse will bite him in the street, and this fear seems somehow connected with his having been frightened by a large penis. The father went on to provide Freud with extensive details of the conversation with Hans. It was not only of his body, but the bodies of others as well. His curiosity was centered on the anatomical differences between the sexes-then suddenly developed a phobia of being bitten by a
References: Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. Two Case Histories. London: The Hogarth Press, 1973 McLeod, S.A. Simply Psychology. Web 5 February. 2011. UK: 2007 http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/defence-mechanisms.html McLeod, S.A. Simply Psychology .Web 5 February. 2011. UK: 2007 http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/little-hans.html