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Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis
Freud approved the overall editorial plan, specific renderings of key words and phrases, and the addition of valuable notes, from bibliographical and explanatory. Many of the translations were done by Strachey himself; the rest were prepared under his supervision. The result was to place the Standard Edition in a position of unquestioned supremacy over all other existing versions.
Newly designed in a uniform format, each new paperback in the Standard Edition opens with a biographical essay on Freud's life and work —along with a note on the individual volume—by Peter Gay, Sterling Professor of History at Yale.
Newly designed in a uniform format, each new paperback in the Standard Edition opens with a biographical essay on Freud's life and work —along with a note on the individual volume—by Peter Gay, Sterling Professor of History at Yale.
77 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1910
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About the author
Sigmund Freud
4,432 books8,326 followersDr. Sigismund Freud (later changed to Sigmund) was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential—and controversial—minds of the 20th century.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews
November 14, 2014
motherfucker.
January 18, 2018
1ère leçon :
Le mérite d'avoir mis au monde la psychanalyse revient au Dr.J.Breuer pour ses travaux sur l'hystérie dans les années 1880_1882 sur une jeune fille hystérique.
Les premiers symptômes sont apparus alors qu'elle était au chevet de son père, qui était sur le point de mourir.
Breuer a constaté que ces symptômes :
** étaient souvent des résidus d'expériences émotives qui seront appelés plus tard << traumatismes psychiques >>.
** sont déterminés par les souvenirs dont ils sont eux-mêmes le résidu.
** ils apparaissent généralement suite à plusieurs événements.
Et pour soigner cet état psychique, il a fallu s'attaquer à chaque trauma dans l'ordre inverse (le dernier d'abord, puis le premier à la fin sans omettre les intermédiaires) en l'abordant par hypnose.
L'exemple de l'hydrophobie engendrée par la vie d'un chien buvant dans un verre d'eau, des troubles oculaires provoqués par la retenue des larmes ==> Freud conclut que les hystériques souffrent de réminiscences et que leurs symptômes sont les résidus et les symboles de certains trauma. Symboles commémoratifs à vrai dire.
2ème leçon :
En interrogeant ses malades dans leur état normal, Freud découvre qu'il y'a une force qui résiste et qui empêche la réminiscence ==> c'est le refoulement (il s'agit d'un processus normal qui vise à protéger la personne, en mettant ainsi un terme au conflit intérieur qui la déchire: les désirs perturbateurs sont rejetés hors de la conscience).
Ainsi nous pouvons affirmer que les hystériques sont des individus soumis à un conflit entre deux forces psychiques (une opposition entre l'inconscient refoulé et le conscient qui résiste au retour de la conscience des éléments occultés ==> d'où le rôle du médecin de rendre possible la cohabitation entre ces deux forces).
3ème leçon :
Le déterminisme psychique consiste en l'utilisation "des associations libres" ==> le patient dévoile à l'analyste toutes les pensées qui lui viennent à l'esprit sans jugement ni discrimination.
Or l'idée spontanée et la représentation refoulée ne sont pas forcément identiques, ce qui pose un grand problème pour cette méthode.
Il y'a d'autres façons de procéder pour comprendre et aider le patient, à savoir :
** l'interprétation des rêves qui est la voie royale à la connaissance de l'inconscient. Confus et inconscients, les rêves des adultes doivent être compris comme étant l'association d'un "contenu manifeste" et "des idées oniriques latentes".
** et l'analyse des ces rêves dont la technique est la même que celle de la psychanalyse.
*** fait important, le lapsus montre que tout le monde a un inconscient en conflit avec la conscience, que tout le monde refoule quelques désirs et que ceci n'est pas la panache des simples hystériques et névrosés.
4ème leçon :
**La première découverte à laquelle la psychanalyse nous conduit, c'est que les symptômes morbides se trouvent liés à la vie amoureuse du patient, et que les troubles de la vie sexuelle sont considérés comme une des causes les plus importantes de la maladie.
**D'après Freud, de l'enfance proviennent les désirs refoulés, qui sont généralement de nature sexuelle "sexualité infantile" : c'est vrai que l'enfant n'a pas vraiment de libido mais il nait avec un instinct sexuel qui cherche à se faire plaisir par les zones érogènes de son corps sans éprouver l'envie de se reproduire ==> c'est l'auto-érotisme.
Puis, vient le développement de la libido avec la participation d'un tiers sans importance du genre (père, mère...).
Progressivement, les pulsions, soumises à la zone génitale, se mettent au service de la reproduction ou aient tendance à l'auto-érotisme ou à l'homosexualité.
Comme les parents s'occupent de lui, l'enfant oriente son attirance vers eux et développe un désir à celui qui au sexe opposé du sien (Mythe d'Œdipe +++)
Nous pouvons définir le traitement psychanalytique comme une éducation pour surmonter chez chacun de nous les résidus de l'enfance !!!!!!!!!!!
5ème leçon :
**L'homme malade souffre des désirs refoulés, qu'il ne peut pas satisfaire dans la réalité, il se réfugie alors dans la maladie et se détourne du réel, ça existe également chez l'homme sain, sauf que chez ce dernier le refoulement a bien fonctionné.
**Au sein de chacun de nous, il y'a un conflit entre ses forces psychiques, qui aboutit soit à la santé, soit à la névrose.
**L'origine sexuelle des névroses est confirmée par le phénomène de "transfert" qui signifie que le patient déverse sur le médecin un trop-plein d'excitations affectueuses, souvent mêlées d'hostilité, qui ont leur source ou leur raison d'être dans une expérience réelle...
Un idéal livre pour s'introduire à la psychanalyse avec le plaisir de lire Freud qui retrace le début de la psychanalyse et les résistances qu'elle rencontra en précisant sa réflexion sur certains points litigieux liés principalement au concept de LIBIDO.
Le mérite d'avoir mis au monde la psychanalyse revient au Dr.J.Breuer pour ses travaux sur l'hystérie dans les années 1880_1882 sur une jeune fille hystérique.
Les premiers symptômes sont apparus alors qu'elle était au chevet de son père, qui était sur le point de mourir.
Breuer a constaté que ces symptômes :
** étaient souvent des résidus d'expériences émotives qui seront appelés plus tard << traumatismes psychiques >>.
** sont déterminés par les souvenirs dont ils sont eux-mêmes le résidu.
** ils apparaissent généralement suite à plusieurs événements.
Et pour soigner cet état psychique, il a fallu s'attaquer à chaque trauma dans l'ordre inverse (le dernier d'abord, puis le premier à la fin sans omettre les intermédiaires) en l'abordant par hypnose.
L'exemple de l'hydrophobie engendrée par la vie d'un chien buvant dans un verre d'eau, des troubles oculaires provoqués par la retenue des larmes ==> Freud conclut que les hystériques souffrent de réminiscences et que leurs symptômes sont les résidus et les symboles de certains trauma. Symboles commémoratifs à vrai dire.
2ème leçon :
En interrogeant ses malades dans leur état normal, Freud découvre qu'il y'a une force qui résiste et qui empêche la réminiscence ==> c'est le refoulement (il s'agit d'un processus normal qui vise à protéger la personne, en mettant ainsi un terme au conflit intérieur qui la déchire: les désirs perturbateurs sont rejetés hors de la conscience).
Ainsi nous pouvons affirmer que les hystériques sont des individus soumis à un conflit entre deux forces psychiques (une opposition entre l'inconscient refoulé et le conscient qui résiste au retour de la conscience des éléments occultés ==> d'où le rôle du médecin de rendre possible la cohabitation entre ces deux forces).
3ème leçon :
Le déterminisme psychique consiste en l'utilisation "des associations libres" ==> le patient dévoile à l'analyste toutes les pensées qui lui viennent à l'esprit sans jugement ni discrimination.
Or l'idée spontanée et la représentation refoulée ne sont pas forcément identiques, ce qui pose un grand problème pour cette méthode.
Il y'a d'autres façons de procéder pour comprendre et aider le patient, à savoir :
** l'interprétation des rêves qui est la voie royale à la connaissance de l'inconscient. Confus et inconscients, les rêves des adultes doivent être compris comme étant l'association d'un "contenu manifeste" et "des idées oniriques latentes".
** et l'analyse des ces rêves dont la technique est la même que celle de la psychanalyse.
*** fait important, le lapsus montre que tout le monde a un inconscient en conflit avec la conscience, que tout le monde refoule quelques désirs et que ceci n'est pas la panache des simples hystériques et névrosés.
4ème leçon :
**La première découverte à laquelle la psychanalyse nous conduit, c'est que les symptômes morbides se trouvent liés à la vie amoureuse du patient, et que les troubles de la vie sexuelle sont considérés comme une des causes les plus importantes de la maladie.
**D'après Freud, de l'enfance proviennent les désirs refoulés, qui sont généralement de nature sexuelle "sexualité infantile" : c'est vrai que l'enfant n'a pas vraiment de libido mais il nait avec un instinct sexuel qui cherche à se faire plaisir par les zones érogènes de son corps sans éprouver l'envie de se reproduire ==> c'est l'auto-érotisme.
Puis, vient le développement de la libido avec la participation d'un tiers sans importance du genre (père, mère...).
Progressivement, les pulsions, soumises à la zone génitale, se mettent au service de la reproduction ou aient tendance à l'auto-érotisme ou à l'homosexualité.
Comme les parents s'occupent de lui, l'enfant oriente son attirance vers eux et développe un désir à celui qui au sexe opposé du sien (Mythe d'Œdipe +++)
Nous pouvons définir le traitement psychanalytique comme une éducation pour surmonter chez chacun de nous les résidus de l'enfance !!!!!!!!!!!
5ème leçon :
**L'homme malade souffre des désirs refoulés, qu'il ne peut pas satisfaire dans la réalité, il se réfugie alors dans la maladie et se détourne du réel, ça existe également chez l'homme sain, sauf que chez ce dernier le refoulement a bien fonctionné.
**Au sein de chacun de nous, il y'a un conflit entre ses forces psychiques, qui aboutit soit à la santé, soit à la névrose.
**L'origine sexuelle des névroses est confirmée par le phénomène de "transfert" qui signifie que le patient déverse sur le médecin un trop-plein d'excitations affectueuses, souvent mêlées d'hostilité, qui ont leur source ou leur raison d'être dans une expérience réelle...
Un idéal livre pour s'introduire à la psychanalyse avec le plaisir de lire Freud qui retrace le début de la psychanalyse et les résistances qu'elle rencontra en précisant sa réflexion sur certains points litigieux liés principalement au concept de LIBIDO.
February 27, 2020
“O pai prefere por regra a filha, e a mãe, o filho; a criança reage a esta circunstância com o desejo de estar no lugar do pai, no caso do filho, ou no lugar da mãe, no caso da filha. (...) O mito do Rei Édipo, que mata o pai e se casa com a mãe, é uma manifestação ainda pouco alterada do desejo infantil, a que mais tarde se oporá o tabu do incesto.”
Quando se fala de Sigmund Freud, o pai da psicanálise, vem-nos imediatamente à ideia essa sua teima com o incesto. O complexo de Édipo que ele identificaria como origem de muitos recalcamentos e consequentes neuroses. Quis conhecer as suas ideias pelo seu próprio punho, e foi possível chegar a muitas conclusões. Acontece que esse capítulo sobre incesto e sexualidade não é tão significativa quanto isso na sua obra, mas será com certeza revolucionária para a sociedade de fins do século XIX.
Freud foi um revolucionário que se atreveu a estudar o comportamento humano, a traçar a história do indivíduo, a escutá-lo, a seguir as suas neuroses até à origem. Para isso, teve de se despir de muitos dos preconceitos e ideias pré-concebidas da época. Teve de sujar-se e de chocar. Por muito que os seus métodos pouco tivessem de científico, são a pedra base para o entendimento de traumas e neuroses, e como curá-las. Interessou-me sobretudo a sua asserção de como a sociedade, a civilidade, reprimem impulsos básicos do Homem enquanto animal, e de como isso conduz à doença de espírito e às chamadas "perversões".
“Antes ainda da puberdade, assiste-se ao recalcamento enérgico de certos instintos, e forças psíquicas como a vergonha, a repugância ou a moral estabelecem-se como guardiões destes recalcamentos. Com a puberdade, a maré cheia do apetite sexual será repreada pelas chamadas formações reativas ou de resistência, que canalização o seu curso para as vias ditas normais e que impedirão o reavivamento dos instintos recalcados. São sobretudo os impulsos coprófilos da infância, ou seja, o prazer associado aos excrementos, que estarão mais expostos ao recalcamento.”
De salientar que tinha um domínio admirável da palavra, e que foi-me possível seguir os seus raciocínios com facilidade.
Falamos de repressão (recalcamento) de ideias que as convenções nos obrigam a rejeitar - como a jovem que se alegra pela morte da irmã num primeiro momento, considerando que agora poderá casar-se com o cunhado - também se silenciam os impulsos sexuais das crianças (admitindo-se que o comportamento sexual se inicia muito cedo, com a exploração do próprio corpo e na relação com a mãe, o pai e o mundo ao redor. Freud aborda a interpretação dos sonhos como momentos em que o subconsciente se mostra vulnerável e projecta receios, traumas, para o universo consciente. Fala de hipnose e de como por vezes essa técnica de Breuer auxilia, e outras atrapalha, o tratamento. Lança luz a algumas questões fundamentais do comportamento - como os gestos falhados, os esquecimentos momentâneos, a relação entre pais e filhos.
Levou-me à conclusão de que o cérebro (para este neurologista) era algo que ele estudava com paixão e o qual encarava em toda a sua complexidade, tendo devotado a sua vida a procurar compreendê-lo. Volvidos 120 anos, ainda não sabemos tudo sobre narcisismo, psicopatia, depressão, ou mesmo sobre a pertinência ou possível utilidade dos sonhos para a consciência. Continua tudo envolto em mistérios que nem a ciência e a medicina conseguem explicar ou curar por completo. E a maravilha desses mistérios começou a ser desvendada por Freud.
January 10, 2025
If you have ever been interested in Freud but have not gotten around to reading him, or are a student seeking a short introduction to his work but are daunted by his bibliography and the sheer amount of psychology texts out there, this is a great place to start--it's short, gives a fairly comprehensive history of all the major developments of Freudian theory, and is in Freud's own words.
In 1909, the still young and relatively unknown Freud was invited to the 20th Anniversary celebration of Clark University in Massachusetts, where he gave a series of talks that were published a year later in this book. This is the event that really launched his international career, his fame skyrocketing shortly thereafter.
It is surprising how much of a regular guy he seems to be in these lectures. He makes jokes with his audience and explains things in very simple language. He describes how his mentor, Breuer, was stumped by a patient who developed all kinds of neurologic symptoms after the death of her father, but her illness could not be explained. As a "hail-mary," Breuer hypnotized the patient, and she confessed a lot of things that had been weighing on her mind of which she otherwise had not been aware. Freud felt this meant that strong emotions not brought to awareness could still do harm to someone if not worked through. But Freud didn't like the idea of hypnosis. It intimidated him. So he set out to find an alternative method to get around repressed feelings, by using dream interpretation, uncovering thoughts about everyday flubs and gaffs or tunes stuck in our head, and even just letting someone ramble until they uncovered the solution for themselves. These techniques all became what we now know as psychoanalysis.
This book really demystifies psychoanalysis and humanizes Freud. I was particularly impressed with his very progressive stance on the practice of medicine. He says that doctors in his day tended to blow off patients with complaints that they couldn't explain, especially if the patient was a woman, even to the point of getting angry with the patient for "making stuff up for attention." Unfortunately, as a medical professional, I find such an attitude remains to this day. Freud believed that all disabilities, even those which a doctor couldn't explain, were just as important to cure, and that mental health impacts physical health. He also rightly believed that mental health was and would be a growing concern as humans all began living in an industrialized society that is alien to our natural environment. In addition, he was one of the first doctors to practice trauma-informed care. So he was truly passionate about helping all people find the tools to help with problems that the rest of the world never tried to fully understand. Through his trials and experiences, Freud was able to map out a unique and very functional map of mental life, and no matter what modern folks think about it, his ideas are still influencing and informing mental health practices today.
Rereading this book gave me new respect and appreciation for the father of my life's work. Hopefully it will do the same for you.
SCORE: 4/5
In 1909, the still young and relatively unknown Freud was invited to the 20th Anniversary celebration of Clark University in Massachusetts, where he gave a series of talks that were published a year later in this book. This is the event that really launched his international career, his fame skyrocketing shortly thereafter.
It is surprising how much of a regular guy he seems to be in these lectures. He makes jokes with his audience and explains things in very simple language. He describes how his mentor, Breuer, was stumped by a patient who developed all kinds of neurologic symptoms after the death of her father, but her illness could not be explained. As a "hail-mary," Breuer hypnotized the patient, and she confessed a lot of things that had been weighing on her mind of which she otherwise had not been aware. Freud felt this meant that strong emotions not brought to awareness could still do harm to someone if not worked through. But Freud didn't like the idea of hypnosis. It intimidated him. So he set out to find an alternative method to get around repressed feelings, by using dream interpretation, uncovering thoughts about everyday flubs and gaffs or tunes stuck in our head, and even just letting someone ramble until they uncovered the solution for themselves. These techniques all became what we now know as psychoanalysis.
This book really demystifies psychoanalysis and humanizes Freud. I was particularly impressed with his very progressive stance on the practice of medicine. He says that doctors in his day tended to blow off patients with complaints that they couldn't explain, especially if the patient was a woman, even to the point of getting angry with the patient for "making stuff up for attention." Unfortunately, as a medical professional, I find such an attitude remains to this day. Freud believed that all disabilities, even those which a doctor couldn't explain, were just as important to cure, and that mental health impacts physical health. He also rightly believed that mental health was and would be a growing concern as humans all began living in an industrialized society that is alien to our natural environment. In addition, he was one of the first doctors to practice trauma-informed care. So he was truly passionate about helping all people find the tools to help with problems that the rest of the world never tried to fully understand. Through his trials and experiences, Freud was able to map out a unique and very functional map of mental life, and no matter what modern folks think about it, his ideas are still influencing and informing mental health practices today.
Rereading this book gave me new respect and appreciation for the father of my life's work. Hopefully it will do the same for you.
SCORE: 4/5
January 9, 2019
This book contains 5 lectures performed by Freud about psychoanalysis.
The first part of the book is enjoyable split into 5 chapters where you are told the notions you'll be reading about at the beginning of each one of them.
That part is very easy to read because each chapter is about 15 pages or so, so it's not that big and it does explain everything you could ask yourself about. Well Freud is publicly speaking to an audience that may or may not know anything about his theory which can make it easy to understand, because in a way you can be part of that audience.
The second part of the book consists of the story of psychoanalysis and it's rise. I liked that part less because it's more dense and less interesting at times. In addition Freud do seem irritated and somewhat defensive of his theories but you'll still get some knowledge at some point going through it.
The second part is split into 3 chapters. I especially liked the third one, because this chapter feature Freud going all out on Carl G Jung(which I look forward to know more about his works) and Alfred Adler.
For better or worse this subjective opinion of Freud helped me get a little more familiar with the theory of each and it helped to put them face to face with the theories of Freud.
At the end of the day this book is good for beginners. In a way it does give information that are somewhat more "academic" than most recent cheap books about psychology that are thrown in the market and made popular .
What's great about it is that you will walk out with more or less fundamental knowledge of what Freud was all about without needing any prior knowledge to be able to understand most of the content.
The first part of the book is enjoyable split into 5 chapters where you are told the notions you'll be reading about at the beginning of each one of them.
That part is very easy to read because each chapter is about 15 pages or so, so it's not that big and it does explain everything you could ask yourself about. Well Freud is publicly speaking to an audience that may or may not know anything about his theory which can make it easy to understand, because in a way you can be part of that audience.
The second part of the book consists of the story of psychoanalysis and it's rise. I liked that part less because it's more dense and less interesting at times. In addition Freud do seem irritated and somewhat defensive of his theories but you'll still get some knowledge at some point going through it.
The second part is split into 3 chapters. I especially liked the third one, because this chapter feature Freud going all out on Carl G Jung(which I look forward to know more about his works) and Alfred Adler.
For better or worse this subjective opinion of Freud helped me get a little more familiar with the theory of each and it helped to put them face to face with the theories of Freud.
At the end of the day this book is good for beginners. In a way it does give information that are somewhat more "academic" than most recent cheap books about psychology that are thrown in the market and made popular .
What's great about it is that you will walk out with more or less fundamental knowledge of what Freud was all about without needing any prior knowledge to be able to understand most of the content.
October 25, 2015
Freud was certainly an engaging writer, as he is able to persuade a lot of admirers until this day. Though he was aware of the fact that his ideas will be met with opposition, I don't think he was wholeheartedly convinced of their validity (he was more concerned in making a name for himself). In our classes, we had been sharing ideas about the 'great triumvirs' of the psychodynamic theories, of whom Freud was the initiator, and by the end of our synthesis, I told our instructor, 'I think it would have meant a lot for Freud if during his times, he studied the effects of brain neurotransmitters and hormones (especially testosterone), since his theory revolved around those.' Why not consider biology instead of speculative theorizing? Psychoanalysis is certainly engaging for the most part, but I can only find it useful in understanding the causes of anxiety and nothing more. It is highly subjective, patriarchal, pessimistic on the view of human nature, unreliable, risky, capable of suggesting false information to patients, and for many critics, unscientific.
January 1, 2021
The ability to speak does not make you intelligent.
— Qui-Gon Jinn
— Qui-Gon Jinn
February 10, 2021
This book is a transcription of a series of lectures Sigmund Freud gave at Clark University in September 1909. These lectures concerned psychoanalysis: its history, its development, key early figures, and essential terms.
I was recommended this introduction as a succinct way in which one can get acquainted with Freudian psychoanalytic theory and practice. Freud begins the first lecture by introducing Dr. Josef Breuer, an (perhaps the) originator of psychoanalysis, and his famous patient, Anna O. Breuer, a precursor to Freud, made it a practice to speak with patients, even those who presented with symptoms not attributable to "organic diseases" [7, Lecture 1]; and Anna, the famous patient-zero of psychoanalysis, herself assisted in the development of this study, as well as its famous method, the "talking cure" [9, Lecture 1].
In this series of lectures, Freud reveals and defends his theories. To begin, Freud argues that past stress can be cathected (charged up) and manifest as physical symptoms later on, while one forgets the original situation. Then, Freud reveals how arrival at the forgotten memory, by talking, can alleviate the symptom and provide catharsis: "When the bed of a stream is divided into two channels, then, if the current in one of them is brought up against an obstacle, the other will at once be overfilled" [17, Lecture 1]. Talking, remembering the forgotten trauma, is essentially like removing the obstacle.
Yet, you may wonder why someone forgets the initial trauma? Or what even we call such a mechanism? In the second lecture, Freud addresses repression: the outcome of a conflict between "a wishful impulse" and its incompatibility with "the ethical and aesthetic standards" of the ego [8, Lecture 2]. Freud also hints at sublimation, the productive use of repressed impulses (most of which are sexual), which he elaborates in the last two lectures.
In the third lecture, Freud expands on his analysis of wish-fulfillment and its denial in the real world, through an engaging argument concerning dream analysis. Generally, when a child dreams, they dream of wish-fulfillment concerning the 'dream-day', i.e. the child dreams a dream wherein the wishes of the day-prior are fulfilled. To which one might say, I do not have meaningful dreams, and to which Freud might respond: if one's dreams are entirely nonsensical, then one must try actively to remember them and fight against the violent resistance posed by one's consciousness, as it tries to keep repressed that which they attempt to dredge (from the depths of their unconscious) through the violence of speech, memory, and interpretation. One must actively try to remember one's dreams; regularly to write them down; to make it one's mission to see if they are able (perhaps one has dreams and doesn't remember; and if one has dreams that defy meaning, these dreams must withstand the violence of interpretation before this judgement can be laid; before such violence, Freud argues, dreams will succumb).
As we near a close, Freud's critique of civilization becomes increasingly salient. As many know, Freud's work is often marked by his connection of various phenomena to one's "erotic life" (original emphasis) [2, Lecture 4]. In the fourth lecture, Freud reveals his theories on "infantile sexuality" [7, Lecture 4]. He elaborates on childhood fixation with the various orifices and erogenous zones of the body. Infantile sexuality begins from a place of "autoeroticism", with the child sucking their thumb (also presenting an oral fixation) moving towards "masturbatory excitation", departing mostly from autoeroticism and incorporating "object-choice", wherein the fixation lies on an extraneous object and passive and active sexual practices become introduced [9, Lecture 4]. The interesting point made about the childhood sexuality is its separation from the reproductive act, which makes each instinct (anal, oral, etc.) for itself, whereas at the end of puberty, the instincts of sexual gratification are subordinated to the genitals, in order to service the reproductive act, and autoeroticism is neglected for the satisfaction of the object-choice, i.e. one's partner(s). Freud also lays out how, in this transformation, we see the repression of certain sexual instincts: "Even before puberty extremely energetic repressions of certain instincts have been effected under the influence of education, and mental forces such as shame, disgust, and morality have been set up, which, like watchmen, maintain these repressions" [9, Lecture 4].
Near the end, Freud touches on his famous "Oedipus complex". It sounds strange now, as it did then, as it likely will to those already equipped with the tools provided to them by the teachings of cognitive psychology or behaviourism. What he elaborates through this is a love a child has for the parent (generally) of the opposite sex, and a desire to replace that of the same sex. This is quickly "doomed to early repression", due to its hostile nature (even towards siblings), while still exerting "a great and lasting influence from the unconscious" [13, Lecture 4]. While I have no idea where I stand on this theory, it reveals two interesting things:
In the end, Freud argues that the benefits of psychoanalysis are curative. For one, it brings to surface a wish that perhaps needs to be denied, but nevertheless needs a more effective mechanism of refusal than repression. A conscious "condemning judgement" [7, Lecture 5]. Another mechanism, mentioned before, is sublimation. This is the use of, let's say, pent up sexual energy for a greater purpose. However, there is a third, more radical outcome: "libidinal impulses [have] a claim to direct satisfaction and ought to find it in life" [9, Lecture 5]. In this, Freud emphasizes the need to not sublimate all, and to keep free sexuality. Some might say his condemnation was heeded. Some might say the pendulum swung too far the other way.
I was recommended this introduction as a succinct way in which one can get acquainted with Freudian psychoanalytic theory and practice. Freud begins the first lecture by introducing Dr. Josef Breuer, an (perhaps the) originator of psychoanalysis, and his famous patient, Anna O. Breuer, a precursor to Freud, made it a practice to speak with patients, even those who presented with symptoms not attributable to "organic diseases" [7, Lecture 1]; and Anna, the famous patient-zero of psychoanalysis, herself assisted in the development of this study, as well as its famous method, the "talking cure" [9, Lecture 1].
In this series of lectures, Freud reveals and defends his theories. To begin, Freud argues that past stress can be cathected (charged up) and manifest as physical symptoms later on, while one forgets the original situation. Then, Freud reveals how arrival at the forgotten memory, by talking, can alleviate the symptom and provide catharsis: "When the bed of a stream is divided into two channels, then, if the current in one of them is brought up against an obstacle, the other will at once be overfilled" [17, Lecture 1]. Talking, remembering the forgotten trauma, is essentially like removing the obstacle.
Yet, you may wonder why someone forgets the initial trauma? Or what even we call such a mechanism? In the second lecture, Freud addresses repression: the outcome of a conflict between "a wishful impulse" and its incompatibility with "the ethical and aesthetic standards" of the ego [8, Lecture 2]. Freud also hints at sublimation, the productive use of repressed impulses (most of which are sexual), which he elaborates in the last two lectures.
In the third lecture, Freud expands on his analysis of wish-fulfillment and its denial in the real world, through an engaging argument concerning dream analysis. Generally, when a child dreams, they dream of wish-fulfillment concerning the 'dream-day', i.e. the child dreams a dream wherein the wishes of the day-prior are fulfilled. To which one might say, I do not have meaningful dreams, and to which Freud might respond: if one's dreams are entirely nonsensical, then one must try actively to remember them and fight against the violent resistance posed by one's consciousness, as it tries to keep repressed that which they attempt to dredge (from the depths of their unconscious) through the violence of speech, memory, and interpretation. One must actively try to remember one's dreams; regularly to write them down; to make it one's mission to see if they are able (perhaps one has dreams and doesn't remember; and if one has dreams that defy meaning, these dreams must withstand the violence of interpretation before this judgement can be laid; before such violence, Freud argues, dreams will succumb).
As we near a close, Freud's critique of civilization becomes increasingly salient. As many know, Freud's work is often marked by his connection of various phenomena to one's "erotic life" (original emphasis) [2, Lecture 4]. In the fourth lecture, Freud reveals his theories on "infantile sexuality" [7, Lecture 4]. He elaborates on childhood fixation with the various orifices and erogenous zones of the body. Infantile sexuality begins from a place of "autoeroticism", with the child sucking their thumb (also presenting an oral fixation) moving towards "masturbatory excitation", departing mostly from autoeroticism and incorporating "object-choice", wherein the fixation lies on an extraneous object and passive and active sexual practices become introduced [9, Lecture 4]. The interesting point made about the childhood sexuality is its separation from the reproductive act, which makes each instinct (anal, oral, etc.) for itself, whereas at the end of puberty, the instincts of sexual gratification are subordinated to the genitals, in order to service the reproductive act, and autoeroticism is neglected for the satisfaction of the object-choice, i.e. one's partner(s). Freud also lays out how, in this transformation, we see the repression of certain sexual instincts: "Even before puberty extremely energetic repressions of certain instincts have been effected under the influence of education, and mental forces such as shame, disgust, and morality have been set up, which, like watchmen, maintain these repressions" [9, Lecture 4].
Near the end, Freud touches on his famous "Oedipus complex". It sounds strange now, as it did then, as it likely will to those already equipped with the tools provided to them by the teachings of cognitive psychology or behaviourism. What he elaborates through this is a love a child has for the parent (generally) of the opposite sex, and a desire to replace that of the same sex. This is quickly "doomed to early repression", due to its hostile nature (even towards siblings), while still exerting "a great and lasting influence from the unconscious" [13, Lecture 4]. While I have no idea where I stand on this theory, it reveals two interesting things:
1) an argument for the social barrier against incest, andFinally, Freud introduces "transference", where the patient directs towards the analyst affection, intermingled with hostility, which can be traced "to old wishful fantasies of the patient's which have become unconscious" [5, Lecture 5]. However, this is not restricted to the analyst, and protrudes all social interactions.
2) while the libidinal fixation on the parents must end, the parents are still used as a model for the final object-choice.
In the end, Freud argues that the benefits of psychoanalysis are curative. For one, it brings to surface a wish that perhaps needs to be denied, but nevertheless needs a more effective mechanism of refusal than repression. A conscious "condemning judgement" [7, Lecture 5]. Another mechanism, mentioned before, is sublimation. This is the use of, let's say, pent up sexual energy for a greater purpose. However, there is a third, more radical outcome: "libidinal impulses [have] a claim to direct satisfaction and ought to find it in life" [9, Lecture 5]. In this, Freud emphasizes the need to not sublimate all, and to keep free sexuality. Some might say his condemnation was heeded. Some might say the pendulum swung too far the other way.
May 8, 2022
plutôt 2.5 j’ai déjà râlé sur insta mais l’homme était fou
de plus je fuis tout ceux qui ont eu le MOINDRE rapport avec Charcot
de plus je fuis tout ceux qui ont eu le MOINDRE rapport avec Charcot
October 26, 2022
What the Freud?
May 30, 2025
la mente umana è una presa per il culo.
datemi il tempo di leggere qualcos'altro di Freud e diventerà la mia religione.
riletto per esame di psychodynamics TROPPO UTILE
grz nonno
datemi il tempo di leggere qualcos'altro di Freud e diventerà la mia religione.
riletto per esame di psychodynamics TROPPO UTILE
grz nonno
March 6, 2025
you can’t keep getting away with this Freud
Read
October 20, 2023kind of surreal to read. mostly boring in that a lot of what he says seems to us so painfully obvious now that its carefully-avoiding-controversy tone sounds ridiculous. crazy to think this was THE FIRST GUY to think hmmmm maybe "hysterics" aren't just faking it for attention?? incomplete and kind of lazy analysis at times: why do dreams express repressed desire? why is the oedipus complex a thing? how is sublimation different from repression? etc. etc.
February 21, 2024
Although I obviously don't agree with his ideas regarding the sexual development, homosexuality and so on, it was interesting to read about his lectures from 1910 - the early beginnings of psychoanalysis.
May 8, 2022
no comment
July 18, 2022
I found these lectures a helpful introduction to Freud and psychoanalysis. However, they are from 1910 and I'm not sure where they might stand within the development of Freud's thinking and how much he stands by everything within these lectures later in his career (into the 20's and 30's especially). I can say that as a beginner with only a hobby interest in psychoanalysis, they provide a lucid account of the psychoanalytic understanding of the relation between the conscious and unconscious, the role of resistance and repression in neuroses, the pathogenesis of symptoms, and the goals of analysis.
Some highlights include Freud's lecture on childhood/infantile sexuality. Despite mischaracterizations of the Oedipal complex, Freud is clear that it is "inevitable and perfectly normal" that children should take parents as the first objects of their love and that it is through later development that "the detachment of the child from his parents cannot be evaded and... makes a gradual transition from them on to extraneous people, taking the parents as a model." Of course much goes wrong during childhood and trauma occurs and here Freud is clear, "You can if you like, regard psychoanalytic treatment as no more than a prolongation of education for the purpose of overcoming the residues of childhood."
Another highlight is Freud's account of the end goals of psychoanalysis. Freud, even at this early period, is well aware of the intense resistance and dark-mystical misconceptions psychoanalysis has assumed in pop culture. "People are afraid of doing harm by psychoanalysis...as if it could bring the sexual repressed instincts into the patient's consciousness... and it could overwhelm his higher ethical trends..." On the contrary, Freud is clear that it is precisely in remaining untouched in the unconscious that repressed desires and wishes operate at their strongest! It is only through talk analysis that repressions and symptoms are addressed and overcome in a healthy way. Freud outlines three ways this may be done: 1. repression is replaced with a condemning judgment of the higher rational faculty, 2. repression is sublimated and the energy of infantile wishes remain ready for use in a higher more serviceable form. or 3. some measure of the repressed, often libidinal, desire has a claim to direct satisfaction and and ought to find it in life.
All in all a great intro (and only 62 pages!).
Some highlights include Freud's lecture on childhood/infantile sexuality. Despite mischaracterizations of the Oedipal complex, Freud is clear that it is "inevitable and perfectly normal" that children should take parents as the first objects of their love and that it is through later development that "the detachment of the child from his parents cannot be evaded and... makes a gradual transition from them on to extraneous people, taking the parents as a model." Of course much goes wrong during childhood and trauma occurs and here Freud is clear, "You can if you like, regard psychoanalytic treatment as no more than a prolongation of education for the purpose of overcoming the residues of childhood."
Another highlight is Freud's account of the end goals of psychoanalysis. Freud, even at this early period, is well aware of the intense resistance and dark-mystical misconceptions psychoanalysis has assumed in pop culture. "People are afraid of doing harm by psychoanalysis...as if it could bring the sexual repressed instincts into the patient's consciousness... and it could overwhelm his higher ethical trends..." On the contrary, Freud is clear that it is precisely in remaining untouched in the unconscious that repressed desires and wishes operate at their strongest! It is only through talk analysis that repressions and symptoms are addressed and overcome in a healthy way. Freud outlines three ways this may be done: 1. repression is replaced with a condemning judgment of the higher rational faculty, 2. repression is sublimated and the energy of infantile wishes remain ready for use in a higher more serviceable form. or 3. some measure of the repressed, often libidinal, desire has a claim to direct satisfaction and and ought to find it in life.
All in all a great intro (and only 62 pages!).
March 22, 2021
Bisschen arg fixiert auf Kastrationsangst und Co.
June 29, 2022
love how freud vulgarized everything. it made it so easy to read and understand
some part of me genuinely believes that we (human beings) are too repressed and too proud to accept freud’s ideas.
accepting what freud discovered and wrote would mean accepting how fcked up we are (imo)…anyway i guess agreeing with him —on some levels, not every single one of them— is my one red flag.
some part of me genuinely believes that we (human beings) are too repressed and too proud to accept freud’s ideas.
accepting what freud discovered and wrote would mean accepting how fcked up we are (imo)…anyway i guess agreeing with him —on some levels, not every single one of them— is my one red flag.
January 6, 2022
A good book to start reading Freud….
April 10, 2024
Lowkey got the ick. Interesting to read nevertheless so that’s why more than 1 star 👍
October 11, 2021
- لا تكفي قراءة واحدة.
- ترجمة سيئة.
- ترجمة سيئة.
September 26, 2022
O papi entrega.
July 31, 2023
Mega banger, muito boa introdução à psicanálise
February 27, 2025
ok so he wasn’t always bonkers
March 1, 2020
Une introduction intéressante aux concepts de base de la psychanalyse de Freud. L'ouvrage est bien vulgarisé mais certains concepts mériteraient d'être développés davantage. Certainement que l"Introduction à la psychanalyse" est bien plus explicite.
Malgré tout, ce livre semble être une bonne entrée en matière pour se familiariser avec la discipline.
Malgré tout, ce livre semble être une bonne entrée en matière pour se familiariser avec la discipline.
January 5, 2017
Une petite conférence vraiment très intéressante où S. Freud nous fait une approche de la psychanalyse, aussi bien du début de la discipline qu'à ses propres expériences.
Le tout est assez bien expliqué, les exemples permettent de comprendre et sont assez clairs, même si ce n'était pas non plus tout le temps simple à lire.
J'ai trouvé la théorie de Freud très intéressante, et je me suis retrouvée être d'accord avec lui sur de nombreux points, notamment sur l'influence de petits évenements sur notre comportement et sur les mécanismes de résistances et de refoulement. J'avoue avoir plus de mal avec le complexe d'Oeudipe et la partie sur la sexualité infantile, même si je suis assez d'accord avec son approche initiale, certaines de ses conclusions m'ont peu convaincue.
Le tout est assez bien expliqué, les exemples permettent de comprendre et sont assez clairs, même si ce n'était pas non plus tout le temps simple à lire.
J'ai trouvé la théorie de Freud très intéressante, et je me suis retrouvée être d'accord avec lui sur de nombreux points, notamment sur l'influence de petits évenements sur notre comportement et sur les mécanismes de résistances et de refoulement. J'avoue avoir plus de mal avec le complexe d'Oeudipe et la partie sur la sexualité infantile, même si je suis assez d'accord avec son approche initiale, certaines de ses conclusions m'ont peu convaincue.
January 7, 2020
A crummy, shortsighted introduction to the renowned psychobabblist Sigmund Freud, an anthropomorphic blemish that irrevocably tarnished psychology's reputation as a legitimate social science for generations to come. Freud mortifies readers with his appalling, outrageously erroneous interpretations of human psychological conditions, relying primarily on his own subjective anecdotal observations in lieu of scientifically-quantifiable/-documentable information. The unleashing of Freud's lurid work to the publishers of psychological studies marked the end of psychology as a formal, rigorous inspection of the human psyche. So long, objective, verifiable data. Hellooooooo Oedipus.
November 14, 2018
A short, yet neat introduction to Psychoanalysis. It contains the essential terms that one may hear in a relevant context, and satisfying explanations that are aimed at laymen; such as the vast majority of us. Freud also has a very charismatic and engaging style of writing (or verbal self-expression, if you will.) I’d say go for it :) (but don’t get spooked by his theories on Sexuality; I’m personally very skeptic about some of the content, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an open mind reading this work - please do! But most of all, enjoy it!)
December 2, 2021
Lo leí varias vecea pero tengo que dar un final y tengo que estudiarlo. Asi que me parecio piola recomendarlo por acá. Es un texto para iniciar a Freud, si bien es complejo, no es dificil. Son 5 conferencias que dio en la Clark university en 1909, y hace una sintesis del psicoanalis hasta ese momento. Explica los tres metodos que utilizo y porque fue dejandolos hasta encontrar la tecnica definitiva, noa habla de los sintomas neuroticos y su origen, asi como unos esbozos de la sexualidad infantil.
April 22, 2018
بغض النظر عن إنعدام وجود أى مراجعة إملائية خاصة في مقدمة الكتاب، وهو ما إستأت منه بشدة، إلا أن ترجمة الكتاب وموضوعه نفسه جيّدان للغاية.
موضوع الكتاب بشكل خاص مهم جدًا لأنه يعد مدخل لنظريات فرويد في التحليل النفسي بداية من تفسير الأحلام سيكوباثولوجيًا حتى نظريته بخصوص ما تُرجِمَ في الكتاب على أنه "الجنسية الطفلية"
موضوع الكتاب بشكل خاص مهم جدًا لأنه يعد مدخل لنظريات فرويد في التحليل النفسي بداية من تفسير الأحلام سيكوباثولوجيًا حتى نظريته بخصوص ما تُرجِمَ في الكتاب على أنه "الجنسية الطفلية"
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