Psychodynamic explanation

Oedipus complex:

Incestuous feelings towards their mother, jealousy towards their father. Out of castration anxiety, they suppress these feelings (identification → internalisation).

Electra complex:

Incestuous feelings towards their father. They see their mother as a rival, and from their penis envy, blames their mother for castrating them. Suppress their feelings (identification → internalisation).

Little Hans:

5-year-old boy with a fear of being bitten by a horse, stemming from when he saw a horse die. Freud interpreted his fear of horses as displaced castration anxiety.

Not valid

Uses subjective case studies, untestable concepts because called unconscious. Contrasts with other verifiable, objective evidence for gender development in controlled lab studies.

Opposing findings

SLT argues you can model of off anyone through identification and imitation, not just same-sex parents.

Research support

Rekers and Morey rated the gender identity of 49 boys aged 3-11 based on interviews. Of those judged to be gender disturbed, 75% did not have a male parental figure in their lives.