I'm writing a paper on the criticisms of Freud's theory. I think I'm on the right track, but I just wanted to see what everyone else here thought. I can't seem to find the right answers on the net. Anyone also have any good Freud websites? Thanks in advance!!
What are the major criticisms of Freud's theory by Alfred Adler and Carl Jung?
Why have his ideas persisted over time?
What is the major contribution of Freud to psychology that earns him the title 'the Father of Psychology'?
How did his thinking set the stage for other theorists who followed?
Others here are much more qualified to comment on these questions, I hope they do so. The answers are not simple.
Freud was the first to have a theory on the causes of human behavior and its causes. He focused on early childhood experiences, and the developement of personality in terms of sexuality. Adler and Jung de-emphasised this root cause, and said other factors are prominent also. Freud's theories have persisted because they represented the first cohesive theory of human psychological development, and secondly, they focused on a powerful taboo subject: sex and incest. Taboo subjects are always of great interest.
His thinking? He laid out a theory, with therapy options for the first time. THe thinking since then has built and modified his programe.
I found many good sites by searching on Google "critisms of Freud's theory"
bobpursley did a good job. However, another factor criticizing Freud's work is that so little of it can be verified empirically — proved or disproved by observable/experimental data. His theory is emphasized more in Europe than in the United States, especially with the introduction of Behaviorism by John Watson.
Psychologists call Wilhelm Wundt the "Father of Psychology" and Sigmund Freud "the Father of Psychoanalysis."
http://www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/KeyTheorists/Wundt.htm
For more information, here are some Freudian Web sites:
http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/freud.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud
http://www.iep.utm.edu/f/freud.htm
http://www.freudfile.org/
http://skepdic.com/psychoan.html
I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.
1 answer