Can a childhood phobia be explained by unconscious conflicts described in psychodynamic theory?
Classic study: Freud (1909), Analysis of a phobia in a five-year-old boy (Little Hans). Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and the psychodynamic perspective.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the classic individual differences study, Freud (1909) Little Hans. Covers the aim, the case-study method, the horse phobia, the Oedipus complex interpretation, evaluation of the psychodynamic perspective, and links to Baron-Cohen and the individual differences area.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
Freud (1909), the case of Little Hans, is the classic study in the individual differences area for the theme "understanding disorders", paired with Baron-Cohen. You must know its aim, method, findings and conclusions, evaluate it, and explain what it tells us about the individual differences area and the psychodynamic perspective.
The answer
Aim and method
Findings and conclusions
Evaluation
- Depth. The case study gives exceptionally rich, in-depth, longitudinal qualitative data with high ecological validity.
- Theory generation. It produced influential ideas about childhood and the unconscious.
- Generalisability. Findings from one unusual child cannot be generalised.
- Researcher bias. Data came from a father who already believed Freud's theory, so the records and questions were likely leading.
- Falsifiability. Freud's interpretations are subjective and unfalsifiable; alternative explanations (a learned fear after seeing a horse collapse) fit equally well.
Examples in context
Example 1. Why this study fits the individual differences area. The individual differences area studies how and why people differ, including in mental health. Little Hans focuses on understanding one individual's disorder (a phobia) in depth, using the psychodynamic perspective to explain it. This focus on understanding an individual's atypical experience places it in the individual differences area.
Example 2. The contrast with Baron-Cohen. Freud is paired with Baron-Cohen et al. (1997), who used a standardised test to study theory of mind in autism. Where Freud uses a subjective, in-depth case study of one child, Baron-Cohen uses an objective, quantitative test with groups. Comparing them shows the move from unfalsifiable interpretation to measurable, scientific study of individual differences, the classic-contemporary comparison the exam asks for.
Try this
Q1. Identify the research method used in the study of Little Hans. [1 mark]
- Cue. A longitudinal case study (of a single child).
Q2. Explain what Freud believed the horse symbolised. [2 marks]
- Cue. The horse symbolised Hans's father; the fear of horses was a displacement of his unconscious fear of and rivalry with his father in the Oedipus complex.
Q3. Explain one weakness of using the father as the main source of data. [2 marks]
- Cue. The father already believed Freud's theory, so he may have asked leading questions and recorded selectively, biasing the data towards a psychodynamic interpretation.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 201910 marksDescribe the method and findings of Freud's (1909) study of Little Hans. [10 marks]Show worked answer →
A description item testing method and findings (AO1).
Method: a longitudinal case study of a single child, "Little Hans", from about age 3 to 5. Most data came from letters written to Freud by Hans's father, who recorded the boy's behaviour, dreams and conversations; Freud met Hans only a few times and interpreted the material through psychoanalytic theory.
Findings: Hans developed a phobia of horses, particularly a fear of being bitten and of white horses with black around the mouth, and feared horses falling down. He also reported fantasies and dreams (such as the "giraffe" fantasy). Freud interpreted the horse as a symbol of Hans's father: the fear reflected the Oedipus complex (unconscious desire for his mother and rivalry with and fear of his father, displaced onto horses) and castration anxiety. As the conflict resolved, Hans's phobia faded and he reported a fantasy of becoming a father himself, which Freud read as identification with the father.
Markers reward the longitudinal case-study method via the father's letters, the specific horse phobia and fantasies, and Freud's Oedipal interpretation (displacement of fear of the father onto horses).
OCR 202112 marksDiscuss the strengths and weaknesses of Freud's (1909) study of Little Hans. [12 marks]Show worked answer →
A balanced evaluation (AO3) using method to support points.
Strengths: the case study gives exceptionally rich, in-depth, longitudinal qualitative data on one child's development, capturing detail a controlled experiment could not; it generated influential theory about childhood and the unconscious; and it has high ecological validity (real family life).
Weaknesses: findings from a single, unusual child cannot be generalised; the data were collected by Hans's father, who already believed Freud's theory, so the records and questions were likely biased (leading the child); Freud's interpretations are subjective and unfalsifiable (alternative explanations, such as a learned fear after seeing a horse collapse, fit equally well); and there was no objective measurement.
A strong answer concludes that the study offers rich, theory-generating insight but its subjectivity, biased data source and lack of generalisability or falsifiability are serious scientific weaknesses. Markers reward developed strengths and weaknesses with a judgement.
Related dot points
- Contemporary study: Baron-Cohen et al. (1997), Another advanced test of theory of mind (the Eyes Task). Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and Freud.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the contemporary individual differences study, Baron-Cohen et al. (1997) Eyes Task. Covers the aim, the quasi-experiment comparing autism, Tourette and control groups, the theory-of-mind findings, evaluation, real-world application, and links to Freud and the individual differences area.
- Classic study: Gould (1982), A nation of morons. Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and the misuse of intelligence testing.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the classic individual differences study, Gould (1982) A nation of morons. Covers the aim, the review of Yerkes' Army IQ tests, the cultural bias and flawed administration, the misuse of the data in immigration policy, evaluation, and links to Hancock and the individual differences area.
- Contemporary study: Hancock et al. (2011), Hungry like the wolf: a word-pattern analysis of the language of psychopaths. Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and Gould.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the contemporary individual differences study, Hancock et al. (2011) on the language of psychopaths. Covers the aim, the computerised text-analysis method with convicted murderers, the cause-and-effect language and basic-needs findings, evaluation, socially sensitive research, and links to Gould and the individual differences area.
- Classic study: Kohlberg (1968), The development of moral reasoning. Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the developmental area and stages of moral reasoning.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the classic developmental study, Kohlberg (1968) on the development of moral reasoning. Covers the aim, longitudinal and cross-cultural interview method using moral dilemmas, the three levels and six stages, evaluation, and links to Lee and the developmental area.
- Sampling methods, ethical considerations, reliability and validity, levels of measurement, and recording, analysing and presenting data.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to sampling and data handling, covering random, stratified, systematic, opportunity and self-selected sampling, BPS ethics, reliability and validity, levels of measurement, and how to record, analyse and present qualitative and quantitative data for Component 1.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR Level 3 Advanced GCE in Psychology (H567) specification — OCR (2015)