Sigmund Freud: Was he right?
Sigmund Freud was a renowned neurologist and the father of psychoanalysis, whose theories on the human mind and behaviour revolutionized the field of psychology.
His ideas, however, are sometimes met with skepticism by modern psychologists.
Let’s take a look at some of Freud’s most famous theories and see how they hold up in the present day.
One of Freud’s most famous theories is the idea of the three parts of the psyche: the id, the ego, and the superego.
The id represents our primitive desires, the ego represents our sense of self, and the superego represents our sense of morality.
This theory is often used in modern psychology, but some psychologists believe that it oversimplifies the complexity of the human mind.
As one modern psychologist puts it,
“Freud’s theory of the psyche is like a potato — it’s simple and easy to understand, but it doesn’t capture the complexity of the human mind.”
Freud also believed in the importance of the unconscious mind, and the idea that our behaviour is often motivated by unconscious desires.
This theory has been widely accepted in modern psychology, but some researchers have criticized Freud’s methods of uncovering these unconscious desires, such as dream analysis and free association.
Another famous Freudian theory is the Oedipus complex, which suggests that boys have a subconscious desire to kill their fathers and marry their mothers.
This theory has been widely criticized for its lack of empirical evidence, and many modern psychologists view it as outdated and irrelevant.
Freud also believed in the importance of childhood experiences in shaping adult behaviour, particularly in the form of early childhood trauma.
While this theory is still widely accepted in modern psychology, some researchers believe that Freud’s emphasis on sexual trauma has overshadowed the role of other forms of trauma, such as physical or emotional abuse.
As one modern psychologist puts it,
“Freud was so obsessed with sex that he couldn’t see the forest for the penises.”
Finally, Freud’s theory of the psychosexual stages of development has also been met with criticism in modern psychology. As simplypsychology.org puts it,
“Freud proposed that personality development in childhood takes place during five psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. During each stage sexual energy (libido) is expressed in different ways and through different parts of the body.
These are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of libido (roughly translated as sexual drives or instincts) on a different area of the body. As a person grows physically certain areas of their body become important as sources of potential frustration (erogenous zones), pleasure or both.
Freud (1905) believed that life was built round tension and pleasure. Freud also believed that all tension was due to the build-up of libido (sexual energy) and that all pleasure came from its discharge.”
While the idea that our early experiences shape our adult behavior is widely accepted, some researchers believe that Freud’s emphasis on sexual development has been overemphasized.
What we can learn from Freud
While Freud’s theories have had a profound impact on the field of psychology, they are not without their flaws.
Some of his theories, such as the importance of the unconscious mind, are still widely accepted in modern psychology. Others, such as the Oedipus complex, have been largely discredited.
Regardless of their alignment with modern psychology, one thing is for certain: Freud’s theories will continue to be debated and studied for many years to come.
As Freud himself once said,
“We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love, never so helplessly unhappy as when we have lost our loved object or its love.”
And with that beautiful platonic quote from Freud, I bid you adieu, my fellow readers.