Paper Summary:

This thesis seeks to examine the treatment, by Sigmund Freud, of a female patient, identified as Dora, aged 18, in the beginning of the 20th. century. The author contends that Freud, whilst undoubtedly a pioneer in the field of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, allowed his prejudices and chauvinism to influence his thinking and diagnosis in the case of Dora. The writer investigates and evaluates this idea by examining existing scholarly research and by his own investigation into Freud's treatment of his patient.

From the Paper:

"This paper will present the case - through a careful review of existing scholarship and this writer's own investigation - that Freud was a chauvinist who didn't listen to Dora's cry for understanding, but rather became aggressive in his desire to verify his own interpretations of her issues. In short, there is evidence that Dora was a victim of trauma, but in his haste to prove his point about hysteria, Freud used his narrative to spin the truth his own selfish way. And moreover, he made rash assumptions about Dora's family - in particular her mother - without having full knowledge and background of those dynamics, and he didn't record the substance of his therapy with Dora until after the sessions had been completed. It is altogether possible that Freud's assumptions - and his own ego-driven male bias - led him to wrongful conclusions, and the fact that he relied on his memory to complete the delicate yet pivotal recording of the interactions with Dora leads observers today to wonder as regards the accuracy therein."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Freud, Sigmund. Freud: On War, Sex and Neurosis. New York: Arts & Science Press, 1947.
• Hare-Mustin, Rachel T. "An Appraisal of the Relationship Between Women and Psychotherapy: 80 Years After the Case of Dora." American Psychologist 38.5 (1983):593-601.
• Mahony, Patrick J. "Freud's Unadorned and Unadorable: A Case History Terminable andInterminable." Psychoanalytic Inquiry 25.1 (2005): 27-44.
• Markotic, Lorraine. "Identifying Dora's Desire." Paragraph 22.3 (1999): 248-256.
• Sachs, David M. "Reflections on Freud's Dora Case after 48 Years." Psychoanalytic Inquiry25.1 (2005): 45-53.

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