Freud's Psychoanalysis

Research Paper # 103849

Psychology > Freud
Psychology > History of Psychology

This paper provides an overview of the history of psychoanalysis and its general components.

1,634 words () | 6 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses a definition of psychoanalysis, its pioneering figures, methods, contributions and limitations. The paper shows how the discovery of psychoanalysis "shook up" the course of human knowledge and supplied modernity with one of its central themes. The paper believes that it is impossible to cease marveling at the ingenuity of Sigmund Freud in his quest for an understanding of the human mind.

Outline:
Psychoanalysis: Definition and Origins
The Pioneer, his Concepts and the Disciples
Method, Technique and the Therapist-Patient Relationship
Criticism and Limitations
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The sayings, "that was a Freudian slip, or "he has an Oedipus Complex" are as common as they are shopworn. However, the common use of those expressions serves as a convenient introduction to this paper, as it pays homage to the monumental Austrian thinker and the science he pioneered: psychoanalysis. Today, the importance of this science is rarely dismissed, but this hardly implies that a great many misconceptions and inaccurate cliches still mar popular discussions of its findings and repercussions."

Sample of Sources Used:

Campbell, J. (1971). The Portable Jung. New York: Viking Penguin Inc.
Freud, S. (1949). An Outline of Psychoanalysis. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Freud, S. (1980). The Interpretation of Dreams. Avon Reissue Edition.
Hobsbawm, E. (1962). The Age of Revolution. New York: Random House, Inc.
Psychoanalysis. (2001-2004). The Columbia Encyclopedia 6th Edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001-2004.