Freud Evaluated: The Completed Arc by Malcolm Macmillan

by Malcolm Macmillan

foreword by Frederick Crews "Although there may be a veritable torrent of books on Freud, there are few that can compare with this one in its historical breadth and detail and the comprehensiveness of its critique of Freudian theory . . . an important achievement. . . indispensable for any serious student of psychoanalytic theory." -- Morris N. Eagle, "Contemporary Psychology" "Macmillan's monumental book represents the culmination of two decades of research into the origins and validity of Freud's psychoanalytic ideas. In the course of a penetrating critique of Freud's methods and findings, Macmillan demonstrates convincingly just where Freud went wrong. "Freud Evaluated" provides a brilliant, rich, and indispensable contribution to the scientific appraisal of pscyhoanalysis." -- Frank Sulloway, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT science or belief system? Since its initial publication this critique of Freud's methods for gathering and evaluating evidence has become a classic in Freud scholarship. Malcolm Macmillan's exhaustive analysis of Freud's personality theory describes the logical and other assumptions on which Freud's work was based and shows how these assumptions interacted with his clinical observations to produce all-embracing but faulty methods for gathering and evaluating evidence.

Genres: Psychology

Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[David Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freud Evaluated is the product of one psychologist's obsessive attempt at discrediting pretty much every part of Sigmund Freud's theories. Like most critiques of Freud, the book is, more or less obviously, motivated and lacking in neutrality: Macmillan clearly wants to find Freud wrong. The motivated nature of the work does not mean that it is unimportant, or that it can be lightly dismissed. Freud Evaluated is the product of a great deal of work and study, and anyone with a serious interest in Freud will have to read it, if they want to be properly informed about the criticisms have been made of Freud. Furthermore, much of Macmillan's criticism of Freud's theories (eg, his theory of dreams, and the death instinct theory) seems convincing.

Unfortunately, but, given the difficulty and complexity of the task Macmillan set himself, not surprisingly, the work is unevenly argued. Perhaps oddly, Macmillan's criticism of Freud's theories about sex is definitely the least satisfactory part of Freud Evaluated. In some cases (such as where he tries to show that the Oedipus complex is an evolutionary impossibility), all he does is to cite what another critic of Freud says and then triumphantly declare that it definitively shows that Freud is wrong, while ignoring or dismissing everything that has been said on the other side of the issue. In other cases, such as his criticism of the theory of infantile sexuality, he produces a muddled, tedious discussion.

While I would recommend that anyone interested in Freud read Freud Evaluated, I would also suggest that they not make the mistake of assuming that Macmillan is always right; they might also try looking for a second opinion.