Freud Response

Brad Levine

Three Case Histories Response

I’ve been in school long enough and taken enough classes to know the basics of Sigmund Freud, his philosophies and, most importantly, his influence on a number of psychological fields. Three Case Histories is the first work of his I ever fully read and while I found it interesting, it seemed to confirm my original suspicions about how I would react to a full study of his. Despite the fact that Dr. Freud was obviously extremely intelligent, I did not really agree with just about everything he said.

On page 205, he says “It is just as impossible for me to argue with workers in the field of psychology or of the neuroses who do not recognize the postulates of psychoanalysis and who look upon its results as artifacts. “ During his time and to this very day, Freud has always had his critics who try to refute his theories. He was a progressive who interpreted the world very differently from his contemporaries, but he didn’t take the criticism and back down. Freud had his own interpretation of the world and was going to believe that he was right no matter what anyone else said. Even with all the criticisms, Freud has become synonymous with psychology and has become a historical figure in his own right.

Nothing in life is going to be universally accepted, but through Freud himself, and not necessarily his work, I have thought about how I fit in the grand scheme of life. Everyone’s interpretation of the world is going to be different, so there’s no point in trying to change our beliefs to better fit the overall feelings of society. I will never agree with Dr. Freud no matter how many academics say that he’s a genius and his word should be taken as undoubtedly correct. Every person has the right to do and think whatever he or she wants, and it is up to that person to have confidence in what they do and be ready to defend themselves and their work, as Freud did. There’s no point in doing anything, unless we truly believe that what we are doing is worthwhile and we’re doing the best work possible. I will never agree with Freud, but he obviously truly believed in his theories and thought he could change the way people think about psychology (which he did).

It is up to the individual to find meaning in life based on personal experiences and opinions. Although everyone is entitled to their opinions, if someone feels strongly about something, they should try to fight any critics. I will never agree with Freud, but while his opinions might have seemed strange (and to some they still do), he stuck with it his entire career.