Freud

Reaction Paper #1

“Since I have started studying the unconscious, I have become so interesting to

myself.” (Sigmund Freud)

Sigmund Freud is known to be the “Father of Psychology”. Though I have heard Wilhelm Wundt should hold this title, I will never stop thinking of Freud as the “Father of Psychology.” Freud is the one who introduced psychoanalysis and gave Psychology a new name. Psychoanalysis is the method of understanding how the mind works and the stages of growth and development I believe psychoanalysis is a general theory of our individual human behavior and experience. Psychoanalysis helps to explain the complex relationship between the body and mind, which furthers the understanding of the role of emotions and the unconscious. It goes on to explain how and why we behave. Psychoanalysis has paved the way for all other approaches to therapy and psychiatric practices.

Let’s move on to Freud’s theory of hypnotism: “a technique that Freud used to produce a state of consciousness that allows the patient to bring to the surface feelings or emotions that would otherwise be repressed.” During Freud’s time this was the standard treatment for hysteria. In the text it states that Freud later questioned this form of therapy. Initially you want to accept Freud’s theory, because it makes sense and seems to be an effective method of dealing with our feelings that are repressed. To think that the behaviors associated with the disease could be removed then restored under hypnosis with a physician’s suggestions, seems logical. I do believe that hypnotism adjunct to catharsis could be one way to help. I do concur with what Freud later realized; “all patients could not be hypnotized or could not achieve the trancelike state of

somnambulism so necessary to relieving and releasing the strangulated emotion of the forgotten traumatic event.” He also concluded that the treatment would depend on the personal relationship between the physician and the patient; which I would say applies to all therapies and treatments. Over the years, Freud was criticized as well as praised regarding psychoanalysis and his other methods. However, when taking into account both the positive and negative aspects, Freud still shows that psychoanalysis is certainly a "great idea" in personality and should not be overlooked or ignored. We also need to consider how at the time Freud came up with these methods they were the first and only real