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Strength and Weaknesses of Little Hans - Freud 1909

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• The Case Of Little Hans

At this point, you have probably heard of Freud’s psychosexual developmental theory. Although the theory was well-known, the research in favour of it was not as abundant. It has lost much of its credibility throughout the years. One notable piece of evidence that Freud provided was the case of Little Hans. ‘Little Hans’ is a pseudonym for Herbert Graf, the son of the critic musician Max Graf, a follower of Freud’s theories.  Little Hans presented a fear of horses that Freud aimed to understand and treat.

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Did Little Hans' case study provide supporting evidence of the psychosexual stages of development?

Hans stated that he wished his mother would drown his younger sister in the bath. Is this true or false?

According to Freud, Hans experienced repression through his mother’s threats, which developed into his fear of castration. Is this true or false?

Hans wanted a large penis to compete with his father and marry his mother, as he had entered the phallic stage of development. Is this true or false?

Freud tried to treat Little Hans directly. Is this true or false?

Bowlby’s findings accepted Freud’s conclusion linking it to the Oedipus complex. Is this true or false?

When did Freud interact with Little Hans directly?

There was nothing ethically wrong with the case of Little Hans. Is this true or false?

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Jump to a key chapter

• This explanation will present the relevance of the Little Hans case in psychology .
• Then, the actual case study from Little Hans will be described.
• Next, Freud’s interpretations of the case study will be reviewed.
• The strengths and weaknesses of Little Hans case study will be discussed.
• And last, the explanation will provide an evaluation of the ethical issues of Little Hans’ case study.

Little Hans: Psychology

Sigmund Freud did not only contribute to our current knowledge of psychology through the development of therapeutic techniques and strategies. Freud also devoted great effort to the explanation of child psychosexual development. The Little Hans Case Study was used as evidence of such psychosexual development theory that Freud had stated.

The Little Hans case study (1909) is one of Freud’s most famous case studies. The case deals with the fears and traumas of a five-year-old boy. Hans’ father requested Freud’s support in dealing with the boy’s fear of horses.

From the age of three, little Hans showed interest in his own and other males, including animals’ penis. In this research, a penis is referred to as a ‘widdler’.

His mother had threatened to call the doctor and get him castrated unless he stopped playing with it. When Little Hans was four years old, he went through a traumatic experience .

Little Hans witnessed an accident with a heavily loaded horse that collapsed in front of him. After the accident, his parents noticed that he became afraid of horses, especially those carrying a heavy load and those with darker circles around the eyes or wearing blinkers.

He feared seeing other horses and didn’t want to leave his home due to his phobia of horses.

A phobia causes an intense fear response when exposed to or thinking about the thing; it is categorised as a clinical mental health illness.

Little Hans Case Study

Since Freud had demonstrated interest in the role of sexual drives concerned children’s development, Little Hans’ father contacted him for help. Up to the age of five, the contact between the family and Freud was in a written manner. When little Hans was five years old, Freud and Little Hans first met face-to-face.

Freud focused on Little Han’s psychosexual development to resolve the mystery of Hans’ fear of horses . He believed Little Hans was going through the phallic stage in which the children’s libido centres around the genitals.

The psychosexual stage of development is Freud’s theory, which states that as children develop, they go through a series of stages that centre around receiving pleasure from different bodily parts. And if children become fixated on a stage, it can cause the onset of psychological issues.

Freud presumed that his focus on male genitals was connected to th is fear of horses and the fear caused by his mother threatening her son with calling a doctor to get him castrated if he did not stop this obsession.

The father reported it to Freud, describing the worry about male genitals. Little Hans’ father, Max Graf, shared with Freud several conversations he had with his son.

The Case Of Little Hans: Analogies

One specific conversation between Little Hans and his father revolved around a dream or fantasy he had, in which he described two giraffes entering a room. Hans described his dream to his father:

In the night there was a big giraffe in the room, and a crumpled one: and the big one called out because I took the crumpled one away from it. Then it stopped calling out: and I sat down on top of the crumpled one 1

This was interpreted as a morning routine involving Little Hans and his father and mother waking up (the father was the big giraffe and the crumpled one was his mother). Freud and the father also suggested that the giraffe’s neck could also be interpreted as a phallic symbol.

When Hans was three and a half years old, his mother gave birth to his younger sister. Hans began competing for his mother’s attention and showing signs of jealousy. He said he wished his mother would drown his younger sister in the bath. However, Hans also developed a fear of drowning.

Hans’ sisters’ birth led him to question the process of conception and childbirth. The parents answered, telling Hans that a stork bird delivers babies in bags.

Freud’s Interpretation of Little Hans’ Traumas

Considering Freud did not personally interact with Little Hans until he was five years old, we have to consider the following interpretations with that in mind. Most of Freud’s theories about Little Hans’ fear and trauma revolve around Little Hans’ father.

The Oedipus Complex is one of Freud’s most infamous conceptualised theories, which he suggests to be a crucial stage in child development.

The Oedipus Complex is a psychoanalytic theory revolving around the idea of a sexual desire for the parent, which is the opposite sex to the child, and insists that a natural rivalry with the same-sex parent develops to win the attention of the opposite-sex parent.

Freud described Little Hans’ interest in ‘widdlers’ as an unconscious motive. He also added that Hans had experienced repression through his mother’s threats, which developed into his fear of castration.

Further, Freud thought Ha ns was j ealous of his sister because it reminded him of his pleasure during the earlier stages of development. He wanted his sister to drown in the bath so he could have his mother to himself.

When Little Hans wanted his father to go away and be alone with his mother, Freud explained that Hans desired his mother and related this to the Oedipus complex. According to Freud, Hans wanted a large penis to compete with his father and marry his mother, as he had entered the phallic stage of development.

Freud also associated Hans’ fear of white horses as part of the Oedipus Complex, as the horses represented his father and the fear that he could harm him. Freud interpreted this as Hans’ fear that his father would castrate him as a punishment for his incestuous desire for his mother.

This was associated with a defence mechanism known as identification with the aggressor. By adopting the father’s mannerisms, a child’s identification with the aggressor reduces the chances of conflicts occurring as they appease the father figure.

The fear s tarted as an Oedipal conflict and developed due to the mother allowing Hans in the parents’ bed and his father opposing him from getting into bed with them.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Little Hans Case Study

We need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the case study to analyse the legitimacy of Freud’s claims.

The Case Of Little Hans: Weaknesses

In what relates to generalisability, the case study was based on one child, and for this reason, the results may not be generalised or applicable to others. Little Hans had specific experiences, so whilst the case study revolves around him and is specifically relevant to him, the interpretations can only be related to him as well. It is a lack of population validity .

In terms of subjectivity, the case study requires a subjective interpretation, which could vary from analyst to analyst. Others could see Hans’ phobia differently , which means that the study case is unreliable. However, Freud collected very detailed data from Hans and his parents. Because of the rich data collection, the study can be re-analysed on an interpretative level relating specifically to Hans.

Jerome Wakefield (2007) used Bowlby’s attachment theory to Little Hans’ giraffe experience. The outcome was a symbolic way to compete for the mother’s attention with his toddler sister. Therefore, Bowlby’s findings rejected Freud’s conclusion linking it to the Oedipus complex.

It’s known that Little Hans’ parents were Freud’s followers, and the information provided to Freud may be considered biased. They may have asked Hans leading questions based on Freud’s theories and looked at Hans’ case through the lens of Freud’s interpretations.

The case study is not considered scientific as the unconscious castration fears are not testable, and Freud’s Oedipus Complex cannot be measured.

The Case Of Little Hans: Strengths

Freud’s studies and theories are focused on sexual and unconscious qualities, which has led to a new path for psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to be further studied. The case study was initially proposed to understand and treat Hans’ fear of horses and see whether there was any support for the Oedipus complex. It also helped track the development of a child aged between four to five.

Years later, when Little Hans became an adult, he paid a visit to Freud, who found he was a healthy man with a successful career, suggesting there was a long-term resolution.

Other interventions, such as medication, are often criticised for not getting rid of the root of the problem; instead, they just mask the problem. The findings suggest that the same can’t be said concerning Freud’s approach.

Based on the study, applying Freud’s concept and evidence for psychosexual stages and theory of gender development revealed the unconscious drives, which resulted in Hans’ cured phobia of horses. Suggesting the research has high utility, and psychodynamic principles should be applied to therapeutic settings.

Ethics of the Little Hans: Freud Case

There are several reasons why such a case study would not be feasible today.

One of these reasons relates to protection from harm. Freud investigated little Hans, but no specific treatment was provided. The case study was used by Freud as evidence of his own ideas but did not provide emotional support for Little Hans.

The study also conflicts with today’s ethical standards regarding informed consent and the possibility of withdrawing from the study. Although in today’s research, underage individuals cannot provide consent, in the case of Little Hans, it is different. The father was a follower and supporter of Freud’s ideas, which may have encouraged him to contact Freud, which could have motivated his father to stay on board with the research despite Hans’ needs.

Further, given the lack of a therapeutic outcome for Little Hans, the real aim of the case study is questioned.

Little Hans Case Study: Short Summary

In short, Little Hans was used in a case study to investigate his fear of horses after witnessing an accident. Freud’s interpretation was based on his psychosexual theory of child development, and thus, Freud explained Little Hans’ fears in terms of the Oedipus Complex.

Although the study was relevant at the time, it can widely be criticised today due to generalisability and validity issues. Furthermore, the case study presents ethical standards that would not be accepted today.

The Case Of Little Hans - Key takeaways

• The Little Hans case is one of Freud’s most famous case studies.
• L ittle Hans was going through the phallic stage within the Oedipus conflicts, fearing castration.
• Little Hans experienced the trauma of seeing a horse collapse/die in the street at around four years old.
• The fear of horses has led Little Hans to avoid leaving his home because he did not want to encounter any horses.
• Freud’s theory lacks generalisability, is unreliable in its method collection, and is subject to bias as the parents were familiar with Freud’s theories.
• Sigmund Freud. 1909. The Standard Edition of the Complete Works of Sigmund Freud, volume X: Two Case Histories . London: Hogarth Press.

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According to Freud, Hans experienced repression   through his mother’s threats, which developed into his fear of castration. Is this true or false?

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Frequently Asked Questions about The Case Of Little Hans

How long was Freud’s study of Little Hans?

The data provided by Hans's parents started when he was three years old, and the experiment lasted until he reached the age of five. 

What was the case with Little Hans?

The Little Hans case study (1909) concerned the study of the fear and traumas of a five-year-old boy.

What happened to Little Hans?

Little Hans was going through the phallic stage when he had a traumatised event that caused a fear of horses. 

What was the method of the Little Hans study?

The method Freud employed was a case study to investigate Little Hans' phobia.

How many times did Freud meet Little Hans?

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• Freudian Psychology

The Case of Little Hans

How freud used a boy's horse phobia to support his theories..

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• Sigmund Freud

The name ‘Little Hans’ is a pseudonym for Herbert Graf, the son of Viennese music critic Max Graf, a family friend of Freud and a follower of his theories. Little Hans was born in 1903 in Vienna and, unusually, was not treated directly by Freud but rather by his father, who would correspond with Freud through a series of letters, detailing his son’s behavior and quoting their conversations. Only on one occasion did Freud hold a session with the boy in person.

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Little Hans had been affected by a traumatic event which had occurred when he was four years old in which he had witnessed an accident: a horse carrying a heavily loaded cart collapsed in the street. After the event, the boy’s parents noticed that he had begun to develop a fear of horses, particularly those carrying a heavy load or those with black around their eyes, or wearing blinkers. It was believed that the phobia was linked to the sight of the large genitalia of the animals, and a fear of horses led to Little Hans trying to avoid leaving his home in case he encountered one of the animals. In Graf’s letters to Freud, he describes a preoccupation with the male genitals which led his wife to threaten the son with calling a doctor to castrate him if it did not end.

Max Graf relayed to Freud numerous conversations with his son which he felt might be of significance to the case. On one occasion, Little Hans described two giraffes entering the room that he was in. He imagined one of the giraffes to be crumpled, and took it away from the second giraffe, who called out to him.

Additionally, sibling jealousy became a problem for Little Hans. When he was 3 ½ years old, his mother gave birth to a baby sister. The attention of his mother that his newborn sister deprived him of led to feelings of jealousy towards her, and he indicated a wish that she would drown in the bath. Little Hans himself also developed a fear of such misfortune occurring to him. The birth of his sister led Little Hans to question the process of conception and childbirth. Unwilling to explain this to their son, his parents provided with a traditional story of stork birds delivering newborn babies in boxes.

Freud’s View on Little Hans

By the time Max Graf sought help from Freud, his theory of psychosexual development had already been established. Freud believed that infants experience five stages during which the primary erogenous zone changes. To summarize, the first three stages are:

Oral Stage - from birth to around 1 year of age, during which the need to feed is satisfied by oral means.

Anal Stage - between the ages of 1 and 3 years, toilet training brings a focus on satisfaction derived from defecation.

Phallic Stage - from the age of 3 to around 6 years, one’s self-awareness brings about an interest in the genitals, which become the main erogenous zone during this stage.

Read more about Freud’s stages of psychosexual development here

The birth of a sister and behavior described by Max Graf occurred whilst Little Hans was experiencing the phallic stage. According to Freud’s theory, his preoccupation with male genitals at this age could be understood in terms of the focus that they attracted during this stage. During the phallic stage, Freud also believed that he demonstrated signs of an Oedipus Complex , whereby the love and attention provided by the mother leads to a child’s resentment of their father, who threatens to steal the affection away from them. They may fear that the father will eliminate the threat that they pose by castrating them, leading to castration anxiety .

Freud interpreted Little Hans’ fantasy involving the two giraffes symbolically. As his father was absent for periods of time, Little Hans was allowed to sleep in his parents’ bed. Freud saw the crumpled giraffe as representing the boy’s mother - he attempted to steal her away from the other giraffe, who denoted his father, and was met with cries of opposition.

This view was further supported by a conversation in which Little Hans referred to his father as “grandfather”, envisaging himself replacing him as the paternal figure and the focus of the mother’s affection.

Little Hans’ fear of horses could also be understood in symbolic terms. Freud felt that the large genitals of the animals led to him experiencing the displacement of a fear of his father onto the horses. The black surrounding their eyes reminded Little Hans of his father, with their blinkers resembling the man’s glasses.

According to Freud’s psychoanalyst daughter, Anna Freud (1895-1982), in The Ego and the Mechanism of Defence (1936), the conflict between the father and son in competition for the affection of the mother may be resolved through a defence mechanism process known as identification with the aggressor . Through such a process, the child believes that they can appease the father by adopting his behavioral characteristics in the hope that a similarity between the two will reduce any potential conflict. 2

Freud and Graf noted how Little Hans’ fear of horses was reduced with his description of a fantasy which suggested the resolution of his castration anxiety, and with his acceptance of an Oedipus Complex, with his admission in another fantasy that he would like to replace his father and have children with his mother.

Little Hans visited Freud at the age of nineteen and his was described by Freud to be healthy, suggesting the long-term resolution of his fear. He (Herbert Graf) would go on to develop a successful career as an opera director. Graf died in Geneva in 1973.

Freud’s interpretation of the case of Little Hans and his use of the boy’s experiences to support his theories of psychosexual development have been criticised by psychologists more recently. Jerome Wakefield applied John Bowlby ’s theory of attachment to Little Hans’ giraffe fantasy, proposing that it was symbolic not only of his parents but also of the competition between him and his younger sister for the attention of their mother (Wakefield, 2007). 3

The process by which Freud obtained evidence to support his ideas has also been questioned. The case is based in part on letters from a person who Freud believed Little Hans feared and resented, raising questions as to how frank the conversations between father and son could have been.

• Strachey, J. (1955). Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 10) . London: The Hogarth Press.
• Freud, A. (1971). The Writings of Anna Freud (Vol. 2) . New York, NY: International Universities Press.
• Wakefield, J. (2007). Attachment and Sibling Rivalry in Little Hans: The Fantasy of the Two Giraffes Revisited. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association . 55 (3). 799-819.

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Freud (1909)

Last updated 10 Feb 2023

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Analysis of a Phobia of a Five-Year Old Boy.

Background & Aim

Little Hans’ father was a supporter of Freud and when his son developed a phobia, he referred him to Freud. Freud agreed to help and believed Hans’ phobia was due to things going on in his unconscious mind. Freud used the study of Little Hans to support his views on the origins of phobias, childhood sexuality and the Oedipus complex , as well as his belief in psychoanalysis as an effective therapy. Freud believed Hans’ fears, dreams and fantasies were symbolic of his unconscious passing through the phallic stage of psychosexual development .

As this was a detailed study of a single individual (Little Hans was Herbert Graf) over a period of time, we can classify it as a longitudinal case study . The study describes Hans’ fears from when he was three years old until he was five. He was five years old at the time of this study, but historical information from when Little Hans was three years old was also used. Qualitative data was gathered by Little Hans’ father through observations of and conversations with his son. This information was then sent to Freud by letter, who replied with interpretations of Hans’ behaviour and with advice.

During his correspondences with Freud, Hans’ father reported some of the following information about his son: Just before the age of three, Hans started to develop an active interest in his ‘widdler’ and he started to masturbate. This caused his mother to threaten to send for Dr A. to cut it off. At three and a half Hans’ sister Hanna was born; he resented her and hoped she would drown in the bath. A short time afterwards Hans developed a fear of white horses and being bitten by them. This seemed to relate to two key incidents: Firstly, overhearing a man say to his child “Don’t put your finger to the white horse or it will bite you”; secondly, seeing a horse that was pulling a carriage fall down. As a result, Hans’ phobia was generalised to carts and buses.

It was also reported that before and after the development of the phobia, Hans was anxious that his mother would leave and he experienced fantasies including one about a giraffe, two plumber fantasies and finally a parenting fantasy. The analysis/ investigation of Little Hans ended soon after the final fantasy when the phobia stopped due to the help he was given by Freud.

The information about Little Hans was analysed by Freud and he came up with the following findings: Because Han’s was experiencing the Oedipus complex (a sexual desire for his mother and rivalry with his father) he was subconsciously scared of his father. This fear was manifested in a fear of horses, particularly those with dark around the mouth (representing his father’s beard) and blinkers (which represented his glasses). Hans’ obsession with his ‘widdler’ was another sign of being in the phallic stage of development and experiencing the Oedipus complex. Other behaviours relating to the Oedipus Complex also included the giraffe fantasy which represented the desire to take his mother away from his father; the plumber fantasy was interpreted as him identifying with his father, as was the fantasy of becoming a father. The final family fantasy was interpreted as the resolution of the Oedipus Complex.

Conclusions

Freud concluded that the study of Little Hans provided support for his theory of psychosexual development and childhood sexuality, including the idea that boys in the phallic stage experience the Oedipus complex. He also concluded that phobias are caused by unconscious anxiety being displaced onto harmless external objects. Furthermore, Hans is an example of unconscious determinism which suggests that people are not consciously aware of the causes of their behaviour. Finally, Freud claims that psychoanalysis was an effective treatment for Little Hans because it identifies the unconscious cause of the abnormality which is then brought into the conscious to be discussed and resolved.

A strength of the case study method is that in-depth qualitative data can be gained through various methods such as observations and interviews. This allowed Freud to make detailed conclusions. However, as the data was gained by Hans’ father, who was also a fan of Freud, it may lack objectivity. There may also have been bias in the questions that were asked and in the recording of the data.

Furthermore, as the sample was only a single individual the study lacks population validity and therefore it is questionable as to whether the findings concerning the Oedipus Complex and psychosexual development can be generalised to all children. This is especially true as Hans was a middle class European boy in the early 20 th Century. It can be suggested that this study and much of Freud’s other research is ethnocentric.

As Little Hans was a five-year old boy he was unable to give informed consent; however, Hans’ father clearly did. Some of the questions Hans’ father asked his son may have caused psychological harm and the detailed description of Hans’ personal information within the research article would be invasion of privacy. On the other hand, Hans’ father was very open with his son and told him that notes he was taking were for the professor who was going to fix Hans’ ‘nonsense’, which he seemed to do!

• Unconscious
• Psychosexual

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