The Ultimate Guide to Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud is one of the most famous thinkers of our time. He is also one of the most controversial. Freud touched upon subjects that were way ahead of his time. His theories often sent shockwaves inside and outside of the scientific community.
He proposed that girls desire to have penises and that boys want to have sex with their mothers. He experimented with cocaine. Nothing was off limits for Freud, as is evident in this quote: "I have found little that is 'good' about human beings on the whole. In my experience most of them are trash, no matter whether they publicly subscribe to this or that ethical doctrine or to none at all. That is something that you cannot say aloud, or perhaps even think."
What was Freud like as a child? Are his theories relevant today? What's an id? Here you will find links to numerous resources that provide answers to all these questions and more.
Biographical Background - Major Works - Personality Theory - Other Notable Theories - Lasting Influence
Biographical Background
- Academic Earth - Sigmund Freud: This site shows a lecture recorded by Yale professor Paul Bloom discussing Freud's life and his theories. Running time is just under one hour.
- Formative Years: Freud's religious values and family are topics covered in this biography presented by the Library of Congress. Included are images of manuscripts and an envelope of his that held cocaine.
- Muskingum College - Sigmund Freud: This site provides a short history of Freud's life, along with a brief description of his school of thought. Most useful is the timeline at the bottom of the page for those who are looking for specific dates regarding his work and his life.
- People and Discoveries - Sigmund Freud: This short biography is presented by PBS as part of their science odyssey program. Along with Freud's life, there are links included to his mentor Jean-Martin Charcot and information on his famous book "The Interpretation of Dreams".
- Psyography: Sigmund Freud: The life of Freud is broken up into several categories on this page: childhood, adult life, and his contributions to psychology. It is maintained by Dr. Megan E. Bradley of Frostburg State University.
- Shippensburg University - Sigmund Freud: This page, written by Dr. C. George Boeree of Shippensburg University, is a great introduction to Freud. Along with a succinct biography, there are also detailed explanations of his theories.
- Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalyst: Time magazine recognized Sigmund Freud in their list of top 100 people. An interesting analysis of Freud's life and theories are presented in this lengthy article.
Major Works
- Civilization and Its Discontents: In this book, Freud talks about how the individual and society relate, gender differences, love, and several other intriguing topics. The University of Pennsylvania offers a passage from the book on this site.
- On Narcissism: The University of Hawaii offers this succinct review of Freud's essay, "On Narcissism." The 'guide' link on the side bar offers analysis and short blurbs from the piece.
- Studies in Hysteria: Co-written by Austrian physician Josef Breuer, this book is where Freud first presented the technique of psychoanalysis as a means of resolving psychological illness. If you are a psychology student, you have probably heard of Anno O., the first woman to receive this type of treatment from the two doctors; her case study is presented here.
- The complete letters of Sigmund Freud to Wilhelm Fliess, 1887-1904: Published on Haverford College's website, a huge account of fascinating personal letters written by Freud to his friend Wilhem Fleiss are available here. In the letters, he discusses cocaine, patients, and personal matters.
- The Interpretation of Dreams: This is probably Freud's most famous book. In it, he discusses his theory of dream analysis, including why dreams are important, how to decode our subconscious mind through dream interpretation, and the psychological processes underlying dreams. The link goes to an e-book in which the entire work can be read for free.
- Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality: Freud's essays on sexuality created shockwaves throughout conservative society in the early 1900s. The essays are entitled "The Sexual Aberrations," "Infantile Sexuality," and "The Transformations of Puberty," in which he discusses sadomasochism, sexual deviation, and sexual perversions.
- Totem and Taboo: Published in 1913, Totem and Taboo is composed of four essays: "The Horror of Incest," "Taboo and Emotional Ambivalence," "Animism, Magic and the Omnipotence of Thoughts," and "The Return of Totemism in Childhood." The link provided directs towards a collection of excerpts from the book.
Personality Theory
- Freud's Concept of the Personality: The cartoons posted on this page illustrating Freud's personality theories are especially entertaining. The concepts are described in brief, and there is also more information available on different aspects of Freud's conjectures.
- Freud's Division of the Mind: Written by David Stevenson of Brown University, this essay explains the difference between the id, the ego, and the super ego. A link to a chart providing conflicts among the three personality divisions can be found at the bottom.
- Freud's Personality Factors: This article is broken up into several categories, including the three levels of awareness and the three facets of personality. A succinct discussion on energy and cathexis is also provided.
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Sigmund Freud: Here you will find an exhaustive explanation of Freud's theories, influences, and a critical analysis of his work. The author, Stephen P. Thornton of the University of Limerick, also includes a list of print references for further reading.
- Psychoanalysis: Freud's Revolutionary Approach to Human Personality: This is an essay written by a student at Northwestern University. Not only does she present his theories on psychoanalysis, but she also offers personal criticisms regarding his practices. Several of her peers have added their notes at the end of the paper for further reflection.
Other Notable Theories
- An Introduction to Freud's Defense Mechanisms: This site offers concise descriptions on each type of defense mechanism noted by Freud. Some of the more well known include repression, denial, and rationalization.
- Born to be Bad: Is Freud’s Death Drive the Source of Human Evilness?: An in-depth look at the "death drive" and its role in history is provided from the University of Essex. This nine-page paper, presented in PDF, is very well written and offers food for thought.
- Defense Mechanisms: This seven-page PDF delves into all the processes of each type of defense mechanism. The real-life examples are especially helpful for comprehending the individual styles.
- Freudian Dream Theory Today: This is an article published in The Psychologist, the journal of the the British Psychological Society. In it, the writer analyzes Freudian dream theory in the context of what we know today about dreams.
- Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development: This page is a great introduction for the five psychosexual development stages introduced by Freud. The author includes information regarding the corresponding erogenous zones, activities to satisfy the desire, symptoms, and environmental processes.
- The Oedipus Complex: Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles, is a play in which the lead character kills his father to be with his mother. The writer of this essay provides the background of the play to explain why Freud coined the term "Oedipus complex," along with a brief description of this complex and the Electra complex and examples of the same in modern culture.
Lasting Influence
- Do psychologists still listen to Freud?: This is an interesting prose written for CNN explaining the relevancy of Freud's ideas on today's psychological community. Several psychological experts offer their opinions.
- Freud's influence - Personal and professional perspectives: An entire issue of this popular psychology journal is devoted to exploring Freud's lasting influence. Prominent British psychologists present their input on how Freud effects their practice.
- Freud's Influence Has Waned But Many Ideas Hold Sway: Specific Freudian concepts that still hold weight in modern psychology are explored in this article. The unconscious, transference, and the connection between mind and body are rated as the most applicable facets of his ideas.
- Is Freud Still Alive? No, Not Really: This paper coming out of Berkeley absolutely slashes Freud's ideas from a scientific perspective. One of the more harsh quotes is, "… he has been a dead weight on 20th century psychology."
- Flogging Freud: The New York Times analyzes the critics of Freud over time. The writer cites several current books written on Freud and the use of his theories.