Sigmund Freud

:Freud redirects to here. For other Freuds, see Freud (disambiguation)

Freud's legacy

Freud trained as a medical doctor, and as such, he believed his research methods and conclusions were scientific. However, his research and practice were condemned by many of his peers, as well as later psychologists and academics. Some, like Juliet Mitchell, have suggested that this is because his basic claim, that many of our conscious thoughts and actions are motivated by unconscious fears and desires, implicitly challenges universal and objective claims about the world (some proponents of science conclude that this invalidates Freudian theory as a means of interpreting and explaining human behavior; some proponents of Freud conclude that this invalidates science as a means of interpreting and explaining human behavior). Psychoanalysis today maintains the same ambivalent relationship with medicine and academia that Freud experienced during his life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Clinical psychologists, who seek to treat mental illness, relate to Freudian psychoanalysis in different ways. Some clinical psychologists have modified this approach and have developed a variety of "psychodynamic" models and therapies. Other clinical psychologists reject Freud's model of the mind, but have adapted elements of his therapeutic method, especially his reliance on patients' talking as a form of therapy. Experimental psychologists generally reject Freud's methods and theories. Like Freud, psychiatrists train as medical doctors, but—like most medical doctors in Freud's time—most reject his theory of the mind, and generally rely more on drugs than talk in their treatments. This could be more to do with modern drive to a 'quick fix' rather than problems with Freud's theories, however.

Related Topics:
Psychologists - Psychodynamic - Psychiatrists

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Freud's psychological theories are hotly disputed today and many leading academic and research psychiatrists regard him as a charlatan - but there are also many leading academic and research psychiatrists who can agree at least with the core of his work. Although Freud was long regarded as a genius, psychiatry and psychology have long since been recast as scientific disciplines. Psychiatric disorders are often considered purely diseases of the brain, the etiology of which is principally genetic. This consideration holds that childhood and environment don't have much influence on the human mind and its well-being. However, many people reject this view as an over-simplification.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Freud's model of psycho-sexual development has been criticized from different perspectives. Some have attacked Freud's claim that infants are sexual beings (and, implicitly, Freud's expanded notion of sexuality). Others have accepted Freud's expanded notion of sexuality, but have argued that this pattern of development is not universal, nor necessary for the development of a healthy adult. Instead, they have emphasized the social and environmental sources of patterns of development. Moreover, they call attention to social dynamics Freud de-emphasized or ignored (such as class relations).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some criticize Freud's rejection of positivism. The philosopher of science Karl Popper formulated a method to distinguish science from non-science, or "pseudoscience". For Popper, all proper scientific theories are potentially falsifiable. If a theory is incapable of being falsified, then it cannot be considered scientific. Popper pointed out that Freud's theories of psychology can always be "verified", since no type of behaviour could ever falsify them. Although Popper's demarcation between science and non-science is widely accepted among scientists, it remains a controversial one itself within philosophy of science and philosophy in general.

Related Topics:
Karl Popper - Pseudoscience - Scientific theories - Falsifiable - Scientific - Psychology - Philosophy of science - Philosophy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Within psychiatry, there are disputes over the causes of mental illness. Some psychiatrists argue that all mental illnesses are caused by neurological disorders but most still admit that many of them are combination of neurological disorders and "learned problems". The work of Emil Kraepelin established scientific psychiatry, which maintains neurological disorder view, although it is worth noting that Freud made significant contributions in this area. Other critics, such as Thomas Szasz, argue that mental illness does not even exist, since there is no objective pathology to observe.

Related Topics:
Psychiatry - Cause - Mental illness - Neurological disorder - Emil Kraepelin - Thomas Szasz

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Behaviourism, evolutionary psychology, and cognitive psychology reject psychoanalysis as a pseudoscience. Humanistic psychology maintains that psychoanalysis is a demeaning and incorrect view of human beings. The other schools of psychology have produced alternative methods of psychotherapy to psychoanalysis, including behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and person centred psychotherapy.

Related Topics:
Behaviourism - Evolutionary psychology - Cognitive psychology - Psychoanalysis - Pseudoscience - Humanistic psychology - Psychotherapy - Behavior therapy - Cognitive therapy - Person centred psychotherapy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~