The Three Little Boys: Hans, Albert, and Peter A Study on Anxiety

Hans, Albert, and Peter are all young boys who became famous in the mid-1920s as a result of being experimental-clinical subjects of Sigmund Freud, John Watson, and Mary Cover Jones, respectively. Freud published his theory of the origin and cure of anxiety based on information learned from Little Hans, whereas Little Albert and Little Peter were used to demonstrate the origins and cure for anxiety according to learning theory. Freud's study of Hans (Fernald, 1984), a 5-year-old boy born in 1903, was the first published case analysis of a child. Freud used the case of Hans published in 1909 to illustrate his theory of childhood sexuality, the Oedipal complex, and the origins of neuroses. Freud only later postulated an aggressive drive (Larson et al., 2007), so he used this case of Hans to demonstrate that "the motive force" of all neurotic symptoms of later life is based on conflicts around the sexual drive. Also, before Hans, Freud's theory was applied only to adults. By studying a child, Freud strengthened his conviction that people are born with universal conflicting urges that form the basis of neuroses. Just as Freud's theory explained the origin of Hans's phobia, Freud believed the phobia was cured when Hans was presented with and understood the reasons for his fears. Thus, Freud's theory both explained and cured Hans of his phobia (in theory).

The Case of Little Hans

Even though Hans was one of Freud's most significant case studies, he saw the boy in person once. Responding to Freud's encouragement to provide information about those who have neuroses, Hans's father wrote Freud numerous letters detailing the boy's behavior and statements. The more salient facts will be recounted here.

At age 3, when Hans showed an interest in his "widdler" (penis), his mother told him if he touched it she would have it cut off. Later, responding to his unclothed mother who asked him why he was staring at her, Hans said he wanted to see if she had a penis, which he thought would be as big as a horse. His mother indicated that she did have a penis.

Still at age 3, Hans witnessed the circumstances surrounding the birth of his little sister. Hans heard his mother groaning and saw bedpans full of blood. He said, "But blood doesn't come out of my widdler" (Fernald, 1984).

Numerous accounts described Hans's preoccupation with the penis. He commented that his baby sister had an extremely small one, which Freud construed as meaning it had possibly been cut off. When Hans was 4, he asked his mother why she did not touch his penis when powdering him, to which she responded that it was not proper. He answered, "But it's great fun." Finally, at age 5, Hans had developed "a nervous disorder." He protested having to walk on the streets because he feared that a horse would bite him. Freud responded to this report that what Hans really wanted was to go to bed with his mother, where he occasionally

Case Studies in Abnormal Behavior, Eighth Edition, by Robert G. Meyer, L. Kevin Chapman, and Christopher M. Weaver. Published by Allyn & Bacon.

Copyright © 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.

ISBN 0-558-51041-8

The Anxiety Disorders 33 slept. Hans's father told Hans that horses do not bite, to which Hans responded that he overheard his friend's father warning his friend not to touch the white horse or it will bite. Eventually, Hans was afraid of all large animals. He told his father that his fear was so great that he touched his penis every night. His father told him to stop touching his penis and his fear would disappear. When Hans said he stopped touching his penis, his father retorted, "But you still want to." Hans agreed.

Freud referred to the information that Hans's father shared with his son about his penis and wishing to sleep with his mother as "enlightenment," which Hans just needed to accept in order to recover. As the facts about Hans's case unfolded, it became apparent that his father planted Freud's notions into Hans's mind and then reinforced his son for reporting facts that concurred with the theory. When Hans said he was afraid of the horse's black bridle, Freud interpreted this as being afraid of the father's black moustache. An  ensuing conversation from father to son was as follows:

"You'd like to be Daddy and married to Mummy; you'd like to be as big as me and have a moustache; and you'd like Mummy to have a baby. . . . Would you like to be married to Mummy?" Hans replied, "Oh, yes."

Freud and Hans's father, who was one of Freud's most devoted followers, paid attention to information from Hans that supported the psychoanalytic theory. An extreme example of this was when Hans told his father that his younger sister was white and lovely.

In order to fit this statement into Freud's concept of sibling rivalry, his father construed Hans's statement as hypocritical and insincere. Even though Freud was aware of the contrived nature of the information, he interpreted Hans's phobia as an Oedipal conflict that came out when Hans did not touch his penis. The more intense sexual arousal that followed is the genesis of Hans's phobia. The libidinal longing is transformed into anxiety.

In summary, Freud interpreted Hans's story as originating in a sexual desire for his mother, and when his father prevented this, Hans hated, feared, and wished to murder his father. Because there was no way to express it, Hans's sexual desire for his mother turned into anxiety. The anxiety also served the purpose of keeping Hans near his mother. Afraid that his father would cut off Hans's penis if his desires were known, Hans transferred his fear of his father to a fear of horses. Finally, and most remarkably, Hans's anxiety finally  disappeared because he became aware of and understood his Oedipus complex.

Using cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychotherapy, what would be done and who would be involved for helping little Hans (see attached case study). Need about 300-400 words