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 was born in 1903 in Vienna. Freud did not directly treat him but rather through his father, who would correspond with Freud through letters, explaining and questioning the son’s behaviour and conversations. It wasn’t till Little Hans was around five years old that Freud interacted with him directly.

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

Little Hans feared horses, Flaticon

The Little Hans case study summary

Freud demonstrated interest in the role of sexual drives concerned children’s development. He focused on Little Han’s psychosexual development to resolve the mystery about Hans’ fear of horses.

He realised that Little Hans was going through the phallic stage of the Oedipus complex, which means he feared castration.

From the age of three, his parents reported little Hans showing interest in ‘widdlers’, which referred to his penis and that of other males, including animals. His mother 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 event.

Freud presumed that his focus on male genitals was connected to this fear of horses and Little Hans’ mother eventually threatened her son with calling a doctor to get him castrated if he did not stop this obsession.

Hans was traumatised with the view of the horse’s large genitalia, which led Little Hans to avoid leaving his home because he did not want to encounter any horses.

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

The two giraffes

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

Hans described his dream to his father:

This was interpreted as a morning routine involving Little Hans and his father and mother waking up (the father is the big giraffe and the crumpled one was the mother). Freud and the father also suggested that the giraffe’s neck could also be interpreted as a phallic symbol, but Hand did not truly entertain and dismiss this.

Sibling jealousy

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 stated that he wished his mother would drown his younger sister in the bath. However, Hans also developed a fear of drowning.

The baby sister’s birth led Little Hans to question the process around conception and childbirth. The parents answered, telling Hans that a stork bird delivers babies in bags.

What is Freud’s interpretation of 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 correspondences with Little Hans’ father.

Oedipus Complex

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

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

Freud thought Hans was jealous 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 desires 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 bite 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.

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

What are the 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.

Weaknesses

The case study suffers from the following weaknesses.

Generalisability

The studies were based on one child, and for this reason, they 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.

Reliability

The case study requires a subjective interpretation, and it could vary from analyst to analyst. Hans’ phobia could be seen differently by others, 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.

Bowlby’s attachment theory

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.

Validity

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

Conversations between father and son

As Freud was aware that Little Hans’ father followed his theories, it can be called into question the conversations between father and son, as the questions could have been leading.

Ethics of the Little Hans case study

Regarding ethics, Hans himself could not consent, and the father gave consent. Hans also was unable to withdraw from the study.

Strengths

Let’s consider the following strengths of the case study of Little Hans.

Application

The application of 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.

Integrity

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 had paid a visit to Freud, who found he was a healthy man with a successful career, suggesting there was a long-term resolution.

Conclusion

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.