Freud on a precipice : how Freud's fate pushed psychoanalysis over the edge / Robert Langs.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Langs, Robert, 1928-2014.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939.

Freud, Sigmund.

Psychoanalysis--History.

Psychoanalysis.

History.

Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939--Psychology.

Psychology.

Physical Description:

xi, 197 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Jason Aronson, [2010]

Summary:

Freud on a Precipice is a psychoanalytic detective story that takes the reader back to the generally unappreciated, yet single most important turning point in the history of psychoanalysis: Freud’s decision following the death of his father to abandon his first, reality-centered theory of the mind in favor of a theory focused on inner fantasies and needs. Robert Langs views this change of heart as a regressive paradigm shift driven by unconsciously influential archetypes that were, in turn, linked to a series of traumas early in Freud’s life. Langs’s detective work brings new insights into such matters as the psychological archetypes that affect the creation and modification of paradigms, physical and mental; a new, utilitarian view of the design of the emotion-processing mind; recognition of the complex unconscious impact of reality and death-related traumas on the human psyche and emotionally charged choices; the vast superiority of Freud’s first paradigm over his second theory of the mind; and the unconscious reasons, despite its many flaws, that Freud’s second paradigm remains in favor to this very day. Freud saved his own life by shifting course, but at the same time he created a theory that must be held partly accountable for the compromised forms of dynamic therapy and the broad psychological harm that have followed in its wake. Using an updated version of Freud’s first paradigm, Langs shows us a better way to live and work.

Contents:

Is Freud to be trusted?

Paradigms and archetypes

A tale of two paradigms

The descendants of Freud's two paradigms

Freud in conflict

Psychoanalytic detective work

Freud's early traumas

The ultimate trauma.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780765706003

0765706008

9780765707215

0765707217

OCLC:

423389280