"The discovery of infantile sexuality: a revolution and a scandal" (pg. 57, Reading Freud)Freud's work on infantile sexuality, at the time, was ground breaking and one of his most controversial and important works. Freud argued that sexuality is a key drive from birth and that it develops through a series of stages until it reaches puberty where adult sexuality is reached. He also connected what we class as perversions to the development stages of sexuality. Throughout this essay, I will discuss the development of sexuality and its perversions and discuss how Freud used the case work on "little Hans" to illustrate his point. Little Hans was the son of one of Freud's followers, Max Graf. Graf was concerned with Han's behaviour and his phobia, so discussed the case with Freud. Freud used this opportunity with Grafs permission to explore infantile sexuality and its impact on the child.
We need to remember at the time of his work on the three essays of sexuality, it was the general opinion that the perversions were the result of degeneracy or it was an innate characteristic.
Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, smoking ...
Statue of Sigmund Freud in London, with the Tavist...
English: Entrance to Freuds consulting roomFreud, in his essays on sexuality, puts forward the argument that these perversions are to be found in the person's psychosexual development in childhood. Firstly he explores what drives these forces and he discusses the notion of instinctual "drives" and "objects". He begins by differentiating between the sexual object which is the object of desire or the person, and then explores the "deviations in respect of the sexual aim" the act which initiates the drive.
When we look at the observations of "Little Hans" made by his father, we are immediately made aware of the fact that he names his penis his "widdler". Hans goes on to classify all animate and inanimate objects based on whether...