Something Exploded In My Mind: Voices of the Ann Arbor Anti-War Movement

by Ernest Harburg (foreword), Bret Eynon (Editor)

Ever since the first publication of Freud's ideas, the scientific status, therapeutic efficacy and morality of psychoanalysis have come under attack from an often sceptical public and from certain sections of the academic community. Yet psychoanalysis has grown in public stature over the last century. It is held in high regard by many important thinkers for its valuable exploration and interpretation of human development in all its aspects. In academic disciplines ranging from literary criticism and feminist studies to psychotherapy, psychoanalysis is regarded as a key building block in understanding human subjectivity.In this book, Stephen Frosh presents the arguments surrounding the therapeutic value and scientific standing of psychoanlaysis and examines its potency as a contributor to debates around gender, identity contructions, sexual orientation and racism. He asks whether psychoanalysis deepens our understanding of human functioning, whether it is consistent with its own theories, and how it relates to the pressures of culture and society.Essential reading for psychoanalysts, counsellors and psychotherapists, For and Against Psychoanalysis provides a first-class introduction to the ideas behind psychoanalysis and the place it occupies in the modern world.

Genres: Psychoanalysis

47 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 1997

Reviews

[Daniel Schulof · Rating 4 out of 5]

I applaud it to the extent that the project is about summarizing the existing scholarly work on the significance and usefulness of psychoanalysis. The tone is typical of modern professional academic work in the humanities, which is to say it is likely to feel like a chore for all general interest readers (even sophisticated ones). It does provide meaningful answers to common questions about the utility (if any) of psychoanalysis. But it also leaves you feeling like this whole endeavor is really putting the cart before the horse -- so many theorists, so many theories, so much intricacy, such far-reaching claims, all arising from a methodology that is fatally flawed due to its elevation of plausibility/coherence of theory over verifiability. I was left with the belief that this entire endeavor is worthless unless/until it can reset and proceed from a more sound footing.

[Nick Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly thought provoking, perhaps ultimately timid

One cannot question the erudition, richness of exploration and many avenues offered for further reading offered here and, for that, I nearly gave it 5 stars. However, it's hard to avoid the feeling (for me at least) that the pros were overwhelming outweighed by the cons yet the author perched uncomfortably on the fence in a too predictable fashion. Not shy of pointing out the issues, the shocking homophobia for instance (eg. homosexuals not being allowed to become psychoanalysts for an extraordinarily long time) it all ultimately felt like a weak, if fascinating, debate whose lack of outcome was inevitable. Perhaps a more accurate title would have been "a critical assessment of psychoanalysis" . Nonetheless, a great read.