freud: loony or correct? how well do you rate his theories?

Question

obviously nobody is black or white on this issue as modern psychology has progressed so much

i beieve that the electra complex reffered to was a theory of carl jung

Answer 1

For the most part I feel he comes close to understanding human psychology. Sexual repression does make one go batty, eh?

Answer 2

Answering this question of any competency is well beyond the scope of this forum. However, the first thing that must be kept in mind is that of temporal relevance. He began to develop his theories in Europe during the Victorian Era...a time when the medical field was being strongly influenced in its theoretical developments by Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and the significant oppression of women, the mere "thought" or a spoken word relating to sex was taboo and socially unacceptable---regardless of your age, gender, or social status. Second, Freud began to openly discuss concepts of our mind and biological motivation. He was interested in describing what makes man/woman be who the eventually become in adulthood, whatever that may be relating to "normality" and "abnormality".

Again, a thorough discussion of Freud is far beyond the scope of Yahoo Answers. Despite whether you agree with his theories or not (a) it was a different time and different world, (b) he tried to put into words (but...there were no words because he was the first so he took terms from mythology (Oedipal and Electra Complex)---NOT a Jungian concept) to attempt to describe (sometimes figurative, sometimes literal) his theory/clinical observations that occurred during his conducting psychoanalysis, (c) his theories of biological unconscious influences are still alive and well today---take a business administration or advertizing & marketing class...or attend a salesman skills development seminar today to see for yourself. Obviously not all things today are applicable from the late 1800s/early 1900s, but many Freudian concepts are alive and well in today's world. Plus, you can always take one of my classes to hear it in full detail.

Answer 3

Though Freud was wrong about many things (everything relates to childhood - everything relates to sex, etc.), before him ill people were placed in institutions and treated like animals. They lived in filthy conditions, were beaten, and tortured.

Freud started therapy (though in the form of psychotherapy), and for that he should be remembered. Many people who live normal lives with simple pills or therapy now, might still be in those insane asylums if not for Freud.

Answer 4

Freud was genius when he realized that dreams have unconscious components, and in his abstract notions of the ego, supergo, and id. These are useful concepts.

However, rather than build upon that, he chose to shoehorn dreams into a single category of wish-fulfillment, creating convoluted rules to do so, and shoehorn desires into sex and death. ("I want a beer, and to see something naked," as Jeff Foxworthy describes jokingly male desires)

This sort of overgeneralization led to his therapy techniques being basically useless, which helped scare peope away from psychotherapy and allowed behavioral ideas like Skinner's take over academia, resulting in a dark age of sorts for psychology and psychotherapy, in my opinion.

Answer 5

Mixed reviews on Sir Freud

Answer 6

If I had to analyze Freud I would have to say that he was very jealous of the female species.

He was an inadequate male who was scared of women and therefore wanted to believe that the only thing that could make us worthy would be if we had a pen*s.
Obviously he hadn't heard of a clit*ris.......'cause if he had why would he think we wished for a pen*s?

He was gay and was very much mirroring his desire for a/another man's pen*s on us women.....

That, or.....he had such a small, tiny little pen*s that he desired for a proper one...this made him think that women feel the same need.

But...he did start us thinking about psychology....the only good think about Freud.

Answer 7

It's been proven that some of his patients' "fantasies" were cases of real abuse that he had to pretty up in order to stay in business back in the 19th century. I don't think you can base *everything* in psychology on the sexual urge, anyway. But he did break new ground, so people shouldn't sneer; he was a pioneer.

Answer 8

The more I learn, the more I find myself convinced by things that at first seemed far-fetched.

I'm sure he's not perfect, but he was pretty good. It looks like only the still-potentially-accurate theories have made it through to mainstream awareness now though.

Answer 9

Freud had numerous psychological ills and moral failings himself.

I discount his theories as products of his various psychoses and moral failings..

Answer 10

Nutty as a squirrel in the mating season.

Look at his theory about how all children being in love (sexually) with their mothers, in an Oedipus like way; or how he thought all women wanted a penis.