Abstract 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."
Abstract This paper attempts to deconstruct and expose the inherent patriarchal ideologies in Freud's psychoanalysis of his famous patient, "Dora". The basis of Freud's psychoanalytic theories revolved around sexuality, and his account of her "madness" condemns her sexuality and dismisses all feminine sexuality. This is a feminist critique of Freud's theories, in general, and specifically, in regards to his comments on the case of "Dora", which attempt to expose the unconscious assumptions that Freud saw in everyone else but himself. The contention of this paper is thus that the society and culture and gender of an individual directly influences his or her perception and interpretation of another individual, and thus Freud, as a privileged, white man in a patriarchal society, could never hope to help or analyse "Dora" accurately.
From the Paper "For Dr Sigmund Freud the case analysis of "Dora" signified the possibility of proclaiming a marriage between dream analysis and psychoanalysis to the psychoanalytic community (Freud, 1901/1905: 44ff.). Yet it was never the woman in analysis who was of importance for either Freud or the psychoanalytic community. Ida Bauer was never important and nor was her Symbolic representation, Dora. Indeed all the women within Dora's case are characterised as ?nothing,? no woman is important (Gallop, 1985: 216). It might be argued that we can never truly know the content of Ida's "nothingness" because Dora was Freud's invention, his interpretation, biases and desires postured onto her feminine form (Geargear, 1985: 177). However we need not know Ida's real life story as Freud's narration of her is more indicative of Ida's status as a woman within a patriarchal society than any autobiographical account could ever have been. Thus Dora becomes a fluid character who need not claim a "real" identity or to be set in an historical moment for she exceeds Ida and is instead the transcendent woman; her hysteria is every woman's hysteria."
Abstract The paper examines the cultural context in which the case study of Dora appeared. It discusses Freud's theory of personality, the neurosis or hysteria of Dora, and presents a feminist reading of Freud's "Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria".
From the Paper "This research examines Freud's case study of a patient he calls "Dora." The research will set forth the cultural context in which the case study appeared and then discuss ways in which a feminist reading of Freud's text has the effect of interrogating, ..."
Abstract After psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung met, they immediately formed a close friendship. Jung learned as much as he could from Freud, and Freud was very eager to pass on his knowledge and beliefs. The paper shows however, that after six years, Jung felt that Freud needed to broaden his theories. Freud was unable to accept this criticism because he expected unquestioning loyalty from his followers. The two men parted and expanded on their own theories independently. The paper explains that Freud maintained his theory that all dreams are the fulfillment of repressed wishes and contain mostly sexual symbols. Jung, however, believed that dreams do not have to be wish fulfillments and that the role of sex is not as strong as Freud believed it was. Based on their different theories, this paper explores how Jung might have analyzed Dora, one of Freud's patients. Sigmund Freud's interpretation of dreams differs from Carl Jung's interpretation due to his different opinion of the purpose of dreams and the role of sexuality, as evidenced in their contrary analysis of Dora in this paper.
From the Paper "Freud decided to begin his analysis of Dora's first dream using free association. Through this method, Freud discovered that Dora's parents had been fighting because Dora's mother was locking the dining room door at night. Dora's father was upset because if something were to happen in the night, then her brother would be locked inside the house since his bedroom only leads into the dining room. When Dora's father mentioned his fear of something happening at night, Dora thought about a fire. Freud concluded that it was this fear of fire that caused Dora's recurring dream to resurface (Freud 82)."
Abstract The writer asserts that because of advertising to children on television, children now nag their parents to buy what they want and they become the consumers of the future. The writer reveals that advertisers know that children are cognitively not developed enough to resist such advertising and once these consumption patterns are established early on in life, they will be difficult to eradicate. The writer uses the Dora the Explorer television character to illustrate how an entertainment show has become an advertising medium for an expensive cereal. The writer discusses the need to ban advertising to children and proposes that parents should simply ban television from their home and reinstate the family meal as an institution. The writer is passionate about not buying food masquerading as toys, like the Dora the Explorer cereal.
From the Paper "Turn off the television. This may sound like a simplistic and perhaps extremist statement to make to America's families. But when we as a society get to the point where we are consuming what we watch on television even in our breakfast bowls, it is time to take control of our leisure time and lives. In particular, with children's advertising, the line between entertainment and advertising has grown so blurry that television characters like Dora the Explorer have 'become' cereals, and advertisements for unhealthy processed foods and cheap toys are made to resemble the advertisements of cartoon shows."
Tags: consumers, advertising, eating, habits, Dora, the, Explorer
This paper argues that Sigmund Freud's subconscious desire for his 18-year-old patient in "Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria" may have shaped Freud's treatment of her.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, 1995, $ 47.95
From the Paper "Sigmund Freud, in "Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria" , provides an example of the patriarchal abuse of power in the psychoanalytic setting. This abuse would be nothing new in that profession, were it not for the fact that Freud has hidden from himself the truth of what is occurring in his attempt to create out of the hysterical Dora a new human being more to his liking and approval. What is actually happening is that Freud himself has fallen in love with Dora, and every interpretation he makes of her case reflects his obsession with her, and his rage at the fact that she has shown the independence, audacity and wisdom to leave him before he has been able to re-create her in his own image.
This assertion may seem outlandish at first, but if we examine the case of Dora and Freud's interpretation (and ... "
An analysis of female hysteria through a review of "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins and "Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria" or "Dora" by Sigmund Freud.
Abstract This paper examines how "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins and "Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria" or "Dora" by Sigmund Freud were both written at the turn of the 19th century and share, not just a common theme of female hysteria, but also reflect the analysis and treatment of such a disorder in the highly male-dominated society of the times. It looks at the similarities between the books and shows how, in both, the protagonist's condition is made to worsen by the sheer refusal on the parts of the men to lend any credence at all to the "voices" of the sufferers.
From the Paper "Dora's tragedy lay in the fact that her own father refuses to believe her that Herr K is constantly making unwanted sexual advances, instead preferring to believe Herr K that the whole story is a concoction of Dora?s, a result of the young girl's own sexual fantasies. Dora's tragedy gets accentuated by Freud choosing to believe her version, but thereafter proceeding to interpret her hysteria as resulting from her own repressed sexual desires that included tracing her throat symptoms such as loss of voice and coughing to her fantasies of her father and Frau K having oral intercourse."
Abstract This paper traces the development of the theory of transference in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, arguing that transference holds historical, theoretical, and therapeutic significance. The theory of transference embodies a number of the conflicts inherent in the development and reception of psychoanalytic theory and the performance of psychoanalytic therapy. It explores transference from both the perspective of the analyst and that of the patient, through the memoir of American Imagist poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle).
Outline
Transference in Theory, Practice, Conflict
Analytic Scandal and the Origins of Transference
"Dynamics" and "Observations"
Dora's Transference and the Analytic Narrative
H.D. and the Analytic Autobiography: Transference into (Post)Modernity
From the Paper "Even the most sophisticated understanding of psychoanalytic theory does not necessarily imply an understanding of psychoanalytic technique. The question of the connection between theory and technique, or therapeutic practice, is of course one that has occupied analysts from Freud to the present, but in a sense there has been a split between the two: if the theory of psychoanalysis continues to inform academic work across the humanities (particularly in literary studies), and the practical ideas of psychoanalysis continue to inform various kinds of non-analytic psychotherapy, practitioners of the one do not necessarily understand the other."
A discussion on Sigmund Freud's statement that psychoanalytic texts are no different from any other with reference to Freud's case studies, "Dora", "The Wolf Man" and "Katherina" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Muders in the Rue Morgue."
Abstract Taking Freud's statement that "all life leads to death" as its starting point, this paper looks at the case studies of "Dora", "Katherina" and "The Wolf Man", examining the extent to which these can be compared to a fictional narrative, such as Poe's "The Muders in the Rue Morgue." The paper goes on to discuss how psychoanaltic theory can be applied to literature, with both the analyst and the author engaging in an attempt to "narrate" lives, bringing them to a satisfactory end point or conclusion.
From the Paper "Before the scene itself has been discovered, Freud describes the "unconscious memory traces" as being in a state of "chaos". He can only bring order from this apparent chaos once he has brought the element of narratability to the case history, and therefore to the analysand's life. Once this has been done, the Wolf Man's history has been brought to its symbolic death. In the same way that a great deal of fictional texts end with a literal death, or a marriage, the Wolf Man, like Dora, reaches the "death" of his own narrative by being "cured", and is then free to marry - which, Freud tells us, he does. "
Abstract This paper assesses the social history approach and aspects of economic history and middle range theories coupled with smaller concepts or heuristic devices that have been utilised in Dora L. Costa's research "Race and Pregnancy Outcomes in the Twentieth Century: A Long-Term Comparison". The paper looks at how this piece of research centres on a middle-range theory concerning race and not a metanarrative like Marxism, and subsequently theories concerning the family, kinship, status and community are also subsidiary factors in this research.
From the Paper " Data, can be easily skewed to fit the researcher's hypothesis, and the method used for sample selection; from what class, race, religion etc... that the sample is selected can be 'coloured' by the researcher's opinions of a class, race or religion and/or by what class, race or religion that the researcher belongs to. Some researchers may argue in an a posteriori way and omit or dismiss as "accidental, historical data" which does not support their theory. Many scientists are correct to criticise the "the socially manipulative ideological agendas of much social and historical enquiry" , which is often present-centred and policy orientated .However, a strength of Costa's work is its approach to the problem of multiple causation. As Sewell remarks, the notion of most analysts in simply choosing a prime cause and then trying to convey this through a chronological narrative, is not sufficiently analytical. "
From the Paper "This research presents a review and critique of one of Freud's case histories: "A Fragment of An Analysis of A Case of Hysteria," which is known as the case of "Dora" (Freud, 1953). In this research, a summary and interpretation of the case are presented in the initial discussion, which is followed by a critique of the case in the concluding discussion.
"DORA": SUMMARY AND INTERPRETATION
"Dora" was the name Freud used to protect the identity of a young woman whom he treated for a brief period of time in 1900 (Freeman, & Strean, 1981). Because the young woman voluntarily ended her treatment at the end of eleven weeks, and before Freud was prepared to end the treatment, Freud (1975, p. 241) referred to the case as a "fragment of an analysis of a hysteria . . . ." (...)"
A comparison between the treatment of the father role in Sartre's "Les Sequestres d'Altona" and Cixous's "Portrait de Dora" ,using psychoanalytical, feminist and gender based perspectives.
Abstract This essay deals with the philosophical themes underlying two of the most influential French plays of the twentieth century, placing them in the context of the latently similar thinking of their authors. From a close reading of a very small sample of their theatrical output, with sustained reference to existentialist, Marxist, and psychoanalytical (that of Irigaray and Levi-Strauss in particular) philosophies, it makes a detailed interpretation of the engagement with bourgeois, patriarchal values the two authors share.
From the Paper "This essay will make a comparative analysis of the treatment of the role of the father in Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Sequestr's d'Altona (1959) and H?l?ne Cixous's Portrait de Dora (1976). At first sight this may seem to be an unusual choice of texts ? one might be justified in wondering where any common ground can lie between the two plays. It is true that Sartre and Cixous seem to have little in common, aside from both being prolific writers who use the largest possible variety of media to communicate the philosophies they hold as being important truths. In terms of their periods of activity, their aims in writing theatre, and most importantly their treatment of the feminine in their work, they are indeed very different. Most importantly as regards the feminine, for as Cranston remarks, He [Sartre] is revolted by women. There is something sickening about all the female characters in Sartre's plays and stories.1 Although Dora is a difficult character, even impenetrable, it could not be said that she is repulsive, as Freud's determination to solve her apparent neurosis shows. Even given the context of their production, though, this essay will seek to show similarities in theme and objective in the two plays. There are, in effect, latent points in common between Cixous's 'theatre of the body' and Sartre's existentialist writing, and this has an important bearing as to the role of the father as being first and foremost the role of a male human being, with sexual desires and sexual desirability. This in turn has important consequences on the notions of subjectivity and the "look" or "gaze" of the "other" - in other words how characters identify themselves through the other characters on stage. This essay will explore these concepts, which are the essence of characterisation in the two plays, examining the consequences of the father's influence in the child's self identification, and the negative outcome that this has. If the role of the father is thus seen in a negative light, then this is not without social and political consequences, and an exploration of the engagement of the two plays in interpreting the social role of the father will form the final part of this essay."
Abstract Surrealist photography began in the 1920s and quickly developed as an interesting means of photography in the following decades. Several surrealist photographers were inspired by the theories of Freud because of the impact he had made regarding the working of the human mind and the distorted images that it held within the unconscious. This paper provides a definition of surrealist photography. It then discusses several photographers and their works, including Rosalind Krauss and her Marxist views, Lucy Schwob, who created the "Claude Cahun Self Portrait", Dora Maar, and Andre Kertesz, who produced "Distortion - Paris 1933".
From the Paper "In addition to Lucy Schwob, there have been other impressive surrealist photographers. Dora Maar is another name that stands out because of her brilliant work on the Portrait of Pere Ubu, 1936. In addition to Dora's work there is the impressive work of Georges Hugnet Untitled Collage, 1934. This photomontage comprises of several photographs merged in such a way that it produces one print. There is an ideal method adopted for this, and the result is an image that unites unrelated elements with a dream-like quality. Similar to this is Man Ray's Rayograph, which is an image that is created without a camera, and therefore exposes the "enigma of objects"."
Abstract This paper describes the treatment of the Holocaust in Elie Wiesel's "Night", Art Spiegelman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale", Roberto Benigni's "Life is Beautiful", and Alain Resnais's "Night and Fog". The paper shows how each of these different works provides a unique and important look at the Holocaust, while also illustrating that different genres and approaches can be effective in conveying an event as important and profound as the Holocaust.
From the Paper "Elie Wiesel's book, Night, tells the semi-autobiographical tale of fourteen year old Eliezer Wiesel who is sent to Holocaust concentration camps. Throughout the novel, the author struggles to find meaning in the horror of the events that surround Eliezer. The death camps consume his family, and Eliezer is left with the horrific guilt of survival. He tries desperately to understand how God could have allowed these terrible events."
Abstract This paper shows how Winton uses various literary devices, in his book "Blueback", to highlight the underlying themes of the book such as descriptive language, similes, metaphors, personification, use of transferred epithets, and sentence structure. The paper discusses the key themes of the novel; growing up, aging and death, dreams and memories, which are interrelated to the main theme of the environment. The paper is of the opinion that, after reading this book, readers may be persuaded to take greater caution to respect the environment and the creatures of the sea.
From the Paper "The story focuses on a young boy, Abel, growing up who yearns to discover the secrets of the sea. After spending his entire youth growing up, living beside and learning about the ocean from his mother Dora, and scaled friend Blueback, Abel decides to move away to study the sea and the creatures that live in it. After traveling the world as a marine biologist, finding true love and growing into his middle ages, Abel learns a hard lesson in life. Abel comes to realize that no amount of education could compare to the relationship his mother had with the sea, for she was the one who stayed in Longboat Bay and fought to keep the sea free from harm."
