https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/22/style/freud-psychoanalysis.html
Truthfully, I have always loved Sigmund Freud and that only grew as I studied psychoanalysis. My bookshelf has always had some Carl Jung and Freud. Usually though, I am alone in that respect, at least in the United States people often strongly dislike Freud and even find him offensive. Regarding religion too, although Freud was an atheist himself, his theories did shape discourse surrounding religion.
I really enjoyed reading this NYT piece because it for once offered a positive perspective on some of Freud’s ideas. The article explains that people are “rediscovering the talking cure” along with the ideas of Freud who developed his theories at the turn of the 20th century.
Many people question my interest in psychoanalysis but not only has it made me understand myself better, but being able to analyze people is a vital skill for journalists. Sure, you might think, why would I want to know the unconscious desires of who I am interviewing, but you’d be surprised how it helps subjects connect to you.
All too often it seems to me people forget the contributions Freud made to modern psychiatry that are fundamental to the way we understand the world around us. So much of the way we currently understand the unconscious can be attributed to his work, but this is clouded by his other work on castration, the Oedipus complex, and more.
I’m with you on this, Dylann. The idea of the subconscious explains so many things, and no matter how much people resist it, their/our early life experiences play a crucial role in future actions, especially for those who deny that fact. I have been interested in how psychoanalysis completely fell out of favor in recent years, and it’s very interesting to think of it making a comeback. Our culture could benefit a lot from Freud’s theories, even as we look beyond some of his ridiculous ideas about women, etc. What does/can it mean to pick and choose among his ideas?
Dylann- This was such an interesting read! “Freud was right” comes out of my friends and my mouth at least once a day, so his theories are obviously still relevant to today’s time. I still find it so funny how he was an atheist but talked about religion so often.