FREUD AND LITTLE HANS Sigmund Freud’s case study of 5-year-old Hans’ extreme fear of horses led Freud to his theory of childhood sexuality. Freud believed Hans’ intense fear of being bitten by a horse had its roots in the boy’s unconscious desire for his mother and his fear of being castrated by his rival father. As Chapter 12 will explain, today’s psychological science does not support Freud’s theory of childhood sexuality. It does, however, agree that much of the human mind operates outside our conscious awareness.

Skye Hohmann/Alamy