World of Psychology

How Right Was Freud?

By John M. Grohol, PsyD
Founder & Editor-in-Chief

The California Literary Review has an in-depth, interesting interview with the latest Sigmund Freud biographer, Peter D. Kramer. You may remember Kramer as the author of the well-known, Listening to Prozac. The new Freud book is entitled, Freud: Inventor of the Modern Mind. The two reviews of this biography on Amazon.com are mixed, but the link to the interview is worth the free read, as illustrated by this quote:

I think it’s on target, although the ambition was so strong that Freud risked (and encountered) repeated embarrassment. Think of his wild efforts at the start of his psychiatric career. First Freud champions cocaine, including its use to treat morphine addiction—only to discover that his colleagues have experience with both drugs and understand the folly of that approach. Then he claims that tracing hysterical symptoms to their source results in their extirpation—and finds that skilled clinicians have serious doubts. Freud swerves to make the outrageous claims associated with the seduction theory. Then he backtracks and propounds the Oedipus Complex, in effect admitting misreporting in the “onion peeling” cases and the molestation reports. He was swinging wildly, aiming for the fences. And by his own account, every at bat was a home run.


Comments


View Comments / Leave a Comment

This post currently has one comment. You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts on our new comments page.

Trackbacks

No trackbacks yet to this post.


    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 29 Jan 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2007). How Right Was Freud?. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 13, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2007/01/29/how-right-was-freud/

 

Recent Comments
  • Jen: @ dave the increase in Bd or adhd for that matter has nothing to do with dsm changes. Every doctor is prone to...
  • Jen: i really feel like the whole dsm 5 thing has too many people in a tizzy. And to be honest i like some of their...
  • Lauren Bastaparis: On the other hand, I’ve read several times that really healthy people are often inclined to...
  • Lauren Bastaparis: I’m not that good either, but I’m blessed with a partner who is. Thanks to him, we...
  • John M. Grohol, PsyD: Hi Dave, 1. I disdain emotional-laden terminology when trying to have a discussion, such as the...
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter



Find a Therapist


Users Online: 5495
Join Us Now!