Sigmund Freud
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Sigmund Freud was a 19th and 20th century physician, neurologist, and philosopher who is widely credited (or vilified) for popularizing the concept of the unconscious—the idea that human beings are not always aware of their own motivations.
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[edit] Achievements
Freud is often grouped with Darwin and Marx as one of the great thinkers of the 19th century. Like Marx, his ideas were a product of the culture in which he lived, and were an attempt to come up with a scientific view of human behavior (in Marx's case, of the behavior of groups, in Freud's case, individuals).
As a neurologist, Freud observed that certain people suffering from "hysteria" had physical symptoms that did not correspond to known neurologic pathways. He also noticed than an exploration of the person's motivations via talk often cured them. He went on to develop the basis for psychiatry before the era of psychopharmacology. His ideas were not entirely new, but he systemized them in a way that was revolutionary and controversial.
[edit] Freud's theories
Freud suggested that mental illness and neurotic behavior originated in unpleasant or traumatic events early in childhood that were suppressed or repressed from the conscious mind. He theorized that the unconscious mind communicated repressed thoughts and emotions by means of symbolism. The term Freudian Slip refers to an error in speech that expresses one's true or unconscious feelings.
Through his experience with the life histories of many patients, Freud came to believe that the primal drive behind sexual behavior was a powerful influence on unconscious behavior because of the way society forces the developing child to hide sexual feelings and repress sexual behavior. Freud divided the development of sexuality in the child into three phases, the oral, the anal and the genital. He believed neurotic behavior often reflected a regression to earlier stages of development. There is great irony in the fact that Freud was a prolific smoker of cigars (an oral fixation on a penis substitute), and died of throat cancer that was most likely caused by this habit. That said, the phrase "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," is often (perhaps apocryphally) attributed to Freud.
[edit] Controversies
Freud's theories and practices were controversial for many different reasons.
[edit] Moral and religious objections
From their inception, Freud's ideas disturbed the religious community. Freud himself regarded religion as neurotic and delusional—an attempt by the unconscious mind to deal with difficult problems and motivations.
[edit] Post-modern objections
Freud's ideas are steeped in the biases of 19th century Europe, especially in regard to gender roles. His ideas are seen by many modern critics as misogynist.
[edit] Existential objections
Major existentialists, like Sartre, explicitly repudiated the idea that there was any kind of "unconscious," and that instead all mental activity was (at some level) conscious. With this in mind, Sartre tried to set up a school of "existential psychoanalysis."
[edit] Freudianism Today
Despite many valid (and spurious) criticisms, Freud's discovery of unconscious motivations (if not all of the odd details he developed) are the underpinning for the modern understanding of the human psyche and modern psychotherapy.
