Posted by Noa on May 26, 2000, at 15:20:50
In reply to What do you guys think of Freud?-, posted by Nancy on May 26, 2000, at 13:55:43
My feelings are that Freud's contributions to the field of psychology have had both positive and negative effects on the development of treatments for mental illness. His work MUST be considered in historical context. I would never see a therapist who relies heavily on Freudian thought to inform his or her approach to therapy, but I think there might be times when familiarity with Freudian work could add to the attempt of the therapist to enter my psychological world and understand my experience. Again, it must be considered in historical context and in the context of a larger body of knowledge coming from other schools of thought. We know a lot more today about psychology, and about the brain, and to have one's outlook on mental illness and treatment be weighted heavily in Freudian psychoanalytic theory is simply misguided and anachronistic. But this doesn't mean there is nothing to learn from studying what Freud had to say and how he came to develop his theories. To do this without also looking at the cultural and historical context that contributed to his way of thinking, however, would be remiss.
poster:Noa
thread:34743
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000526/msgs/34751.html