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The Essentials of Psycho-analysis
In this selection of her father’s writings Anna Freud has defined and included, in a single volume, the essential, irreducible elements of psychoanalysis. She begins with the most appropriate of Freud’s own introductory essays, The Question of Lay Analysis , and follows the sequence of themes that he adopted in that work—the meaning of dreams, the concept of the unconscious, instinctual and sexual life, the structure of the personality, defense mechanisms, and symptom-formation. The result, with her own lucid commentaries supplementing her father’s writing in the authorized translations by James Strachey, is a coherent, manageable, and authoritative guide to the principal themes and concepts of psycho-nalysis.
608 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 1991
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About the author
Sigmund Freud
4,453 books8,376 followersDr. Sigismund Freud (later changed to Sigmund) was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential—and controversial—minds of the 20th century.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 16, 2020
These are the essentials chosen by Freud's daughter, Anna. Honestly, 80% of it could be omitted without any loss to a lay reader like me. Even Freud himself recognised that most of the time he's merely repeating himself: "The complexity of our subject-matter must be an excuse for the fact that none of the chapter-headings of this book quite correspond to their contents, and that in turning to new aspects of the topic we are constantly harking back to matters that have already been dealt with." So what makes up 80% of this book? "Envy of the penis" and Oedipus Complex (maybe Freud tried to justify something here?).
Some parts are worth your attention though. Overall, most of it was quite enjoyable (the only struggle was once it got biological and considered some minor organisms). As psycho-analysis was quite ground-breaking in its time, now, huge parts of it are considered to be quite obvious to us. Nevertheless, it's still worth reading. To grasp the idea of ego and id, I'd recommend his 31st lecture, "The Dissection of the Psychical Personality". Also, lecture 23rd, "Formation of Symptoms", touches the subject of psychosis and neurosis which is quite interesting. Then, there are "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality", but you could do only with their brief summary in the end. Also, even though, not much of it is scientifical and seems to be hugely subjective, dreams are essential when we're talking about Freud. Instead of reading his hefty volume on that, his short essay "On Dreams" covers basically everything there is to know.
I really loved this for the most part. The book is broken up into 10 chapters that are made up by Freud's essays organised chronologically. This allows you to see how his view of psycho-analysis had changed over the years. Also, Anna Freud is a huge enthusiast of her father's work, so she really chose the right material and introduced it in the correct order. Therefore, you begin with the easiest stuff and slowly move on to the more difficult issues. I definitely recommend this to about anyone interested in psycho-analysis!
Some parts are worth your attention though. Overall, most of it was quite enjoyable (the only struggle was once it got biological and considered some minor organisms). As psycho-analysis was quite ground-breaking in its time, now, huge parts of it are considered to be quite obvious to us. Nevertheless, it's still worth reading. To grasp the idea of ego and id, I'd recommend his 31st lecture, "The Dissection of the Psychical Personality". Also, lecture 23rd, "Formation of Symptoms", touches the subject of psychosis and neurosis which is quite interesting. Then, there are "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality", but you could do only with their brief summary in the end. Also, even though, not much of it is scientifical and seems to be hugely subjective, dreams are essential when we're talking about Freud. Instead of reading his hefty volume on that, his short essay "On Dreams" covers basically everything there is to know.
I really loved this for the most part. The book is broken up into 10 chapters that are made up by Freud's essays organised chronologically. This allows you to see how his view of psycho-analysis had changed over the years. Also, Anna Freud is a huge enthusiast of her father's work, so she really chose the right material and introduced it in the correct order. Therefore, you begin with the easiest stuff and slowly move on to the more difficult issues. I definitely recommend this to about anyone interested in psycho-analysis!
January 11, 2019
الكتاب جيد ومُبسَّط للتعرف على المحاور الأساسيّة للتحليل النفسي، يميُّزه أنه من كتابة سيغموند فرويد نفسه في أواخر أيامه أي بعد استقرار نظرياته في التحليل النفسي، مع الإيجاز والاختصار ودون الحاجة للثرثرة التي وجدتها في كتابي "حياتي والتحليل النفسي" و"تفسير الأحلام". والترجمة كانت جيدة أيضًا.
الكتاب متوفر حاليًا في المركز القومي للترجمة.
الكتاب متوفر حاليًا في المركز القومي للترجمة.
January 29, 2019
معالم التحليل النفسي
سيجموند فرويد
يُنظر إلى مدرسة التحليل النفسي والتي اتضحت معالمها على يد مؤسسها سيجموند فرويد، نهايات القرن التاسع عشر وبدايات القرن العشرين، على أنها من أقدم مدارس علم النفس المعاصر. يذهب فرويد إلى تقسيم الجهاز التفسي في نظريته إلى: الهو/ الأنا/ الأنا الأعلى. الهو حيث منبع الطاقة الحيوية والنفسية والتي يُولد الفرد مزوّداً بها، وهو يضم الغرائز والدوافع الفطرية الجنسية والعدوانية، وهو الجانب اللا شعوري واللا إرادي، لذلك فهو بعيد عت المعايير والقيم الإجتماعية، ولا يعرف شيئاً عن المنطق. بينما يكون الأنا نقطة التلاقي بين الهو والعالم الخارجي، حيث مركز الشعور والإدراك الحسي والعمليات العقلية. لذلك يكون الأنا في مأزق شبه دائم بين مطالب الهو وبين الأنا الأعلى. والأنا الأعلى هو أشبه بالوالدين، حيث مستودع المثاليات والأخلاقيات والضمير والمعايير الاجتماعية. أي بمعنى آخر بمثابة سلطة داخلية.
في معالم التحليل النفسي يقف فرويد كثيراً عند تفسير الأحلام، باعتباره ستار تختفي وراءه الحقيقة. وهنا يتقاسم بورخيس فكرة أن الحلم الذي نتذكره بعد اليقظة ليس هو عملية الحلم الحقيقية. فالأصل أن الحلم مادة لا شعورية يدخل عليها الأنا الكثير من التحريف.
من جانب آخر، فيولي فرويد اهتماماً خاصاً بعقدة أوديب كما جاءت في الميثولوجيا الإغريقية أنه قتل أباه دون أن يعلم أنه أبوه، ثم تزوج أمه من غير علم منه أنها أمه. فلما عرف الحقيقة فيما بعد فقأ عينيه حزنًا وكمدًا.
سيجموند فرويد
يُنظر إلى مدرسة التحليل النفسي والتي اتضحت معالمها على يد مؤسسها سيجموند فرويد، نهايات القرن التاسع عشر وبدايات القرن العشرين، على أنها من أقدم مدارس علم النفس المعاصر. يذهب فرويد إلى تقسيم الجهاز التفسي في نظريته إلى: الهو/ الأنا/ الأنا الأعلى. الهو حيث منبع الطاقة الحيوية والنفسية والتي يُولد الفرد مزوّداً بها، وهو يضم الغرائز والدوافع الفطرية الجنسية والعدوانية، وهو الجانب اللا شعوري واللا إرادي، لذلك فهو بعيد عت المعايير والقيم الإجتماعية، ولا يعرف شيئاً عن المنطق. بينما يكون الأنا نقطة التلاقي بين الهو والعالم الخارجي، حيث مركز الشعور والإدراك الحسي والعمليات العقلية. لذلك يكون الأنا في مأزق شبه دائم بين مطالب الهو وبين الأنا الأعلى. والأنا الأعلى هو أشبه بالوالدين، حيث مستودع المثاليات والأخلاقيات والضمير والمعايير الاجتماعية. أي بمعنى آخر بمثابة سلطة داخلية.
في معالم التحليل النفسي يقف فرويد كثيراً عند تفسير الأحلام، باعتباره ستار تختفي وراءه الحقيقة. وهنا يتقاسم بورخيس فكرة أن الحلم الذي نتذكره بعد اليقظة ليس هو عملية الحلم الحقيقية. فالأصل أن الحلم مادة لا شعورية يدخل عليها الأنا الكثير من التحريف.
من جانب آخر، فيولي فرويد اهتماماً خاصاً بعقدة أوديب كما جاءت في الميثولوجيا الإغريقية أنه قتل أباه دون أن يعلم أنه أبوه، ثم تزوج أمه من غير علم منه أنها أمه. فلما عرف الحقيقة فيما بعد فقأ عينيه حزنًا وكمدًا.
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August 22, 2023Freud, though quite an unlikeable person, was revolutionary for his time in the world of psychology and for him we may thank many contemporary ideologies and therapies.
This book is very enjoyable to all who love essays and anything to do with the Ego and Id, dreams, human sexuality and more but i cannot give a rating for i admit to not having read every single essay quite yet- i simply don’t enjoy forcing myself to read essay after essay but i will come back to this book! Nonetheless, fantastic (though at times long-winded) work by a man notable of great contributions to psychology and worth a read
This book is very enjoyable to all who love essays and anything to do with the Ego and Id, dreams, human sexuality and more but i cannot give a rating for i admit to not having read every single essay quite yet- i simply don’t enjoy forcing myself to read essay after essay but i will come back to this book! Nonetheless, fantastic (though at times long-winded) work by a man notable of great contributions to psychology and worth a read
September 18, 2025
2.5 stars.
It was very interesting at some points, but im really uncomfortable with the fact that this book talked about the sexual urges of kids and infants for like 100 pages straight... I did not like reading that at all. Glad I finished this book.
It was very interesting at some points, but im really uncomfortable with the fact that this book talked about the sexual urges of kids and infants for like 100 pages straight... I did not like reading that at all. Glad I finished this book.
August 3, 2025
‘Our imagination always follows patterns.’
November 29, 2024
I read The Interpretation of Dreams some years ago to get what I thought I needed to get from Freud. I was drawn back to reading him because I have recently read White Skin, Black Fuel and Overshoot by Andreas Malm (the latter with Wim Carton), both of which focus upon the irrationality and insanity of climate breakdown, particularly amongst the ruling class in positions in Government, bureaucracy and business who are actually in a position to do something to prevent ecological catastrophe but who are choosing not to. There are some references to psychoanalysis in these books, and it made me think I needed to do some more investigation of the topic. Since becoming a Marxist a few years ago I have become accustomed to thinking in materialist terms, but it is apparent that materialism cannot explain everything that takes place. The ruling class may be carrying on destroying the planet because it is in their best short term financial interest, but they do need to persuade themselves and those around them that they are not in fact doing this, either by denying that climate breakdown is happening (the preference of those on the far right), or by fantasizing that the world will be saved by some technological breakthrough that will allow us to maintain business as usual without overturning our entire economic, political and social order.
So, I went into this with an open mind and a desire to learn. But, I am coming out of it on the other side not much the wiser. There are aspects of Freud's thinking that make some kind of sense to me. I find it believable that we have an unconscious mind, that it exerts a lot of influence on our thoughts and actions, that we have different aspects of our minds that may be in conflict with each other such as the Ego, Id and Super-Ego. It is easy to believe that sexuality is a hugely influential force, far more than humans have realised, and that the things that occur in our childhood have a massive impact on our subsequent lives. But there are other aspects of Freud's thinking that seem pretty wild and that aren't persuasively argued from my point of view. He thought that boys developed a castration complex when they saw a girls genitals, and became afraid that their fathers would castrate them. He thought that when girls saw a boys genitals they would wonder why they didn't have a penis and develop penis envy. He thought that boys were in love with their mothers and hated their fathers for being their rivals, and that girls loved their fathers and hated their mothers.
Now, I don't think Freud was just making ideas like this up out of nowhere. He spent thousands of hours over the course of decades studying all this, analysing himself and others. The problem is that ultimately he cannot make persuasive arguments based on logic and reason that a lay reader can follow and either agree with or disagree with. You have to take what he is saying on faith. Because the concepts he is exploring emerge from human subjectivity. He has come to his conclusions by analysing the thinking of lots of people, but we the reader have not had this experience.
When you read a work of philosophy or theory, the intelligent reader can weigh it up and decide how persuaded they are through reference to the logic of the argument, their own experience, comparing it to their other reading or observations about events in the world. I became a convinced Marxist at nearly 40 years old, because the more I read, the more I listened, the more I considered my own experiences, and the more I paid attention to what was happening in the world, it gradually made more and more sense. When I examine history through a Marxist framework, it makes sense. When I look at contemporary events through a Marxist lens, they make sense. It has predictive and explanatory power. When I consider Freud's theories I don't feel like I can comprehend it and engage with it as a useful framework on anything more than a basic level.
I actually went into psychotherapy myself for a little over a year a couple of years ago, out of curiosity and to see if I could address something about myself that I didn't feel was a problem, but which other people had observed and mentioned repeatedly. I went along to meet my psychoanalyst once a week for an hour for just over a year, and whilst I don't think it was a total waste of time and I got something out of it, it also did not uncover or resolve any issues. I didn't learn anything about myself I didn't already know. Maybe I'm just too damned sane to understand or appreciate psychoanalysis.
So, I went into this with an open mind and a desire to learn. But, I am coming out of it on the other side not much the wiser. There are aspects of Freud's thinking that make some kind of sense to me. I find it believable that we have an unconscious mind, that it exerts a lot of influence on our thoughts and actions, that we have different aspects of our minds that may be in conflict with each other such as the Ego, Id and Super-Ego. It is easy to believe that sexuality is a hugely influential force, far more than humans have realised, and that the things that occur in our childhood have a massive impact on our subsequent lives. But there are other aspects of Freud's thinking that seem pretty wild and that aren't persuasively argued from my point of view. He thought that boys developed a castration complex when they saw a girls genitals, and became afraid that their fathers would castrate them. He thought that when girls saw a boys genitals they would wonder why they didn't have a penis and develop penis envy. He thought that boys were in love with their mothers and hated their fathers for being their rivals, and that girls loved their fathers and hated their mothers.
Now, I don't think Freud was just making ideas like this up out of nowhere. He spent thousands of hours over the course of decades studying all this, analysing himself and others. The problem is that ultimately he cannot make persuasive arguments based on logic and reason that a lay reader can follow and either agree with or disagree with. You have to take what he is saying on faith. Because the concepts he is exploring emerge from human subjectivity. He has come to his conclusions by analysing the thinking of lots of people, but we the reader have not had this experience.
When you read a work of philosophy or theory, the intelligent reader can weigh it up and decide how persuaded they are through reference to the logic of the argument, their own experience, comparing it to their other reading or observations about events in the world. I became a convinced Marxist at nearly 40 years old, because the more I read, the more I listened, the more I considered my own experiences, and the more I paid attention to what was happening in the world, it gradually made more and more sense. When I examine history through a Marxist framework, it makes sense. When I look at contemporary events through a Marxist lens, they make sense. It has predictive and explanatory power. When I consider Freud's theories I don't feel like I can comprehend it and engage with it as a useful framework on anything more than a basic level.
I actually went into psychotherapy myself for a little over a year a couple of years ago, out of curiosity and to see if I could address something about myself that I didn't feel was a problem, but which other people had observed and mentioned repeatedly. I went along to meet my psychoanalyst once a week for an hour for just over a year, and whilst I don't think it was a total waste of time and I got something out of it, it also did not uncover or resolve any issues. I didn't learn anything about myself I didn't already know. Maybe I'm just too damned sane to understand or appreciate psychoanalysis.
June 17, 2020
I like the cover which reminds me of the early series of Freud's works in english translation published by Collier Book. It is a thick book tries to provide a timeline of Freud's journey in the world of psychoanalysis through his selected works. The way the works arranged is helpful so to some extent I just imagine the book as a more advanced version of such "Freud for Beginners". Yes it is a thick book but I think it is great to find several most significant of Freud's works in one book.
March 3, 2018
Abandoned for now, would like to revisit this some time later. Probably because it's written in a textbook fashion.
February 26, 2020
این کتاب علاقه ی من به روانشناسی و روانکاوی رو هزار برابر کرد. از این همه توجه و درک عمیقی که فروید به روان انسان داشته واقعا حیرت کردم. نکته ی مثبتی که هست در مورد کتاب، متن ساده و قابل فهم و مثال های متعدده که آدم بعد از خوندنش به خیلی از مسائل روانکاوی که به نظرش پیچیده میاد ادراک پیدا میکنه و جواب خیلی از سوالات و ابهامات رو میشه پیدا کرد. مثلا تو قسمت “خواب و رویا” فروید خیلی استادانه توضیح میده که هیچ خوابی بی معنا نیست و هر رویایی که ما تو خواب میبینیم یه صورت نهانی داره که به روان ناخودآگاهمون راه پیدا میکنه.
اینکه یه ستاره کم دادم بخاطر بخش “اختلاف زن و مرد” بود که به نظرم مطالبش خیلی سخیف و توهین آمیز به زن بود، البته نسبت به زمانی که این کتاب نوشته شده شاید بشه یکم توجیهش کرد ولی در این دوران دیگه این نظریه ها هیچ اعتباری نداره.
مطالب و موضوعاتی که تو این کتاب فروید بهش پرداخته خیلی گسترده س و در عین حال اصلا کتاب خسته کننده ای نیست و به شدت جذابه حتی برای خواننده عادی و قطعا بعد از خوندنش احساس میکنید که خیلی چیزا بهتون اضافه شده
اینکه یه ستاره کم دادم بخاطر بخش “اختلاف زن و مرد” بود که به نظرم مطالبش خیلی سخیف و توهین آمیز به زن بود، البته نسبت به زمانی که این کتاب نوشته شده شاید بشه یکم توجیهش کرد ولی در این دوران دیگه این نظریه ها هیچ اعتباری نداره.
مطالب و موضوعاتی که تو این کتاب فروید بهش پرداخته خیلی گسترده س و در عین حال اصلا کتاب خسته کننده ای نیست و به شدت جذابه حتی برای خواننده عادی و قطعا بعد از خوندنش احساس میکنید که خیلی چیزا بهتون اضافه شده
September 22, 2020
The Essentials of Psycho-Analysis is a collection of essays compiled by Anna Freud, Sigmund Freud’s youngest daughter, who followed the path of his father to immerse in the field of psycho-analysis. As the title suggests, it deals mainly with the essentials which form the integral parts of Freud’s theory of psycho-analysis. It might be readable for readers who are interested to dissect how Freud’s thoughts developed from time to time, but it might pose a challenge for people who expect to read a comprehensive textbook.
Sigmund Freud had the tendency to discard his old view once new evidence suggests that his old theory no longer applicable, therefore sometimes we could witness contradictory remarks in this same book. For example, his view of 'Death as the ultimate aim of life' changed between his two essays Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) and The Ego and the Id (1923). In Beyond the Pleasure Principle (p. 246), he asserts his view that:
Whereas in The Ego and the Id: IV (p. 462), he challenged his earlier view by saying:
Of course, we can see it both positively and negatively that Freud was a person who’s not afraid to challenge his earlier view and admit the mistakes in his theory, while at the same time posing contradictory remarks due to the form of this book as the essays which are compiled by Anna are not put chronologically by timeline. We can simply say that readers will have the chance to observe how Freud’s thoughts change from time to time as we notice the years the essays are published.
At first, I was expecting this book to be a difficult read, but it turns out to be a typical reading experience even for a lay reader like me. The first essay itself argues about lay analysis in The Question of Lay Analysis (1926). It forms Freud’s basic intention to classify psycho-analysis as a different subject from what was commonly practised by physicians at that time, as psycho-analysis in its part employs various devices such as mythologies, literature, as well as various training which must be attended at psycho-analysis training institutes before an analyst could perform analysis on patients. In this regard, I must praise Anna Freud’s job in putting the themes in a structure which would be readable for lay readers as well as putting helpful introductions in each theme.
The themes covered in this book vary from the meaning of dreams, the concept of the unconscious, the instinctual and sexual life, the structure of the personality, to the origins of neurosis and psychosis. It helps to explain the main notion of Freud’s theory on the origin of mental illness which is caused by sexual repression during childhood. We can see in this book that more than 200 out of the 572 pages are dedicated in the theme of Human Sexuality [most notably, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905, p. 277)]. For readers who are interested in mythologies, this particular theme would also be interesting due to how Freud could relate the complexities of sexuality with various myths developed in Europe, social constructions, as well as human anatomical structure. This particular view that infantile sexuality causes mental illness has been challenged by his protégé Alfred Adler who argues that Inferiority Complex possess a more dominant role in this regard, but nevertheless it remains interesting to read Freud’s analysis on this topic.
As a whole, this book is helpful in explaining the essentials of the theory of psycho-analysis. But as a textbook, it remains obscure and inadequate to explain completely the comprehensive idea of psycho-analysis. It is understandable, given all of Sigmund Freud’s psychological works consist of 24 volumes which would be impossible to fit into this 572 pages edition. And as such, I am in the opinion that this book serves more as an introduction about the basics of psycho-analysis and would be more suitable for new students of psychology and lay readers who are interested to immerse briefly into this subject to get the basic idea of it.
Sigmund Freud had the tendency to discard his old view once new evidence suggests that his old theory no longer applicable, therefore sometimes we could witness contradictory remarks in this same book. For example, his view of 'Death as the ultimate aim of life' changed between his two essays Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) and The Ego and the Id (1923). In Beyond the Pleasure Principle (p. 246), he asserts his view that:
If we are to take it as a truth that knows no exception that everything living dies for internal reason - becomes inorganic once again - then we shall be compelled to say that ‘the aim of all life is death’ and, looking backwards, that ‘inanimate things existed before living ones’.
Whereas in The Ego and the Id: IV (p. 462), he challenged his earlier view by saying:
On the basis of theoretical considerations, supported by biology, we put forward the hypothesis of a death instinct, the task of which is to lead organic life back into the inanimate state; on the other hand, we supposed that Eros, by bringing about a more and more far-reaching combination of the particles into which living substance is dispersed, aims at complicating life and at the same time, of course, at preserving it.
Of course, we can see it both positively and negatively that Freud was a person who’s not afraid to challenge his earlier view and admit the mistakes in his theory, while at the same time posing contradictory remarks due to the form of this book as the essays which are compiled by Anna are not put chronologically by timeline. We can simply say that readers will have the chance to observe how Freud’s thoughts change from time to time as we notice the years the essays are published.
At first, I was expecting this book to be a difficult read, but it turns out to be a typical reading experience even for a lay reader like me. The first essay itself argues about lay analysis in The Question of Lay Analysis (1926). It forms Freud’s basic intention to classify psycho-analysis as a different subject from what was commonly practised by physicians at that time, as psycho-analysis in its part employs various devices such as mythologies, literature, as well as various training which must be attended at psycho-analysis training institutes before an analyst could perform analysis on patients. In this regard, I must praise Anna Freud’s job in putting the themes in a structure which would be readable for lay readers as well as putting helpful introductions in each theme.
The themes covered in this book vary from the meaning of dreams, the concept of the unconscious, the instinctual and sexual life, the structure of the personality, to the origins of neurosis and psychosis. It helps to explain the main notion of Freud’s theory on the origin of mental illness which is caused by sexual repression during childhood. We can see in this book that more than 200 out of the 572 pages are dedicated in the theme of Human Sexuality [most notably, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905, p. 277)]. For readers who are interested in mythologies, this particular theme would also be interesting due to how Freud could relate the complexities of sexuality with various myths developed in Europe, social constructions, as well as human anatomical structure. This particular view that infantile sexuality causes mental illness has been challenged by his protégé Alfred Adler who argues that Inferiority Complex possess a more dominant role in this regard, but nevertheless it remains interesting to read Freud’s analysis on this topic.
As a whole, this book is helpful in explaining the essentials of the theory of psycho-analysis. But as a textbook, it remains obscure and inadequate to explain completely the comprehensive idea of psycho-analysis. It is understandable, given all of Sigmund Freud’s psychological works consist of 24 volumes which would be impossible to fit into this 572 pages edition. And as such, I am in the opinion that this book serves more as an introduction about the basics of psycho-analysis and would be more suitable for new students of psychology and lay readers who are interested to immerse briefly into this subject to get the basic idea of it.
December 2, 2021
This content selections on this book could have been better. The interpretation of dreams is only around 40 pages, while the content on sexuality is almost 250 pages which is pretty disappointing since his analysis on Human Sexuality is just mostly his observation of his patients and his personal experiences, but he's aware that his works need further research. I wouldn't recommend this book if you're just starting to read books about psychology, I would recommend easier books than this one or probably read his works on Dreams. It's the most fascinating and important I think.
P.S: Don't read from Vintage Classics because the font is too small (in my opinion)
P.S: Don't read from Vintage Classics because the font is too small (in my opinion)
March 26, 2023
Every time humans try to string together an explanation for why P->Q (or whether P->Q exists at all), we must construct a narrative. Psychoanalysis, like mythology, religion and much of speculative physics, is just another sort of narrative. Personally, I think it's a better narrative than thinking demons are responsible for your unspeakable perversions. But that's only because I live in this era.
March 5, 2022
Freud is often unfairly viewed from our contemporary lens - but this book reminds us of how revolutionary and impactful his view of psychology was.
December 15, 2024
I did not feel smart enough to fully enjoy.
April 22, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this alot. Both enjoyed the depth and width of the subjects. A huge body of work - clearly described in a lot of detail.
August 27, 2025
Fabulous Freud as always.
July 3, 2017
This book is a fantastic serious introduction into the world of classic psychoanalysis
July 21, 2022
I’m not interested in arguing whether or not Freud is a good psychologist. This book is my foundation to the field and his ideas are certainly foundational to psychology. I have picked up several other psychology books and in the first few chapters, from Jung to Piaget to Erickson, Freud is mentioned. So he is worth a read, and this book is certainly definitive as it illustrates all of his noteworthy ideas eloquently and in a way that it is easy to understand. I attempted to read “interpretations of dreams” last year and I lost my footing halfway through.
From a layman, who is interested in becoming a professional, this was a good start.
From a layman, who is interested in becoming a professional, this was a good start.
March 19, 2016
I read this book after I got inspired after reading Stephen Grosz’s “The Examined Life”. This book is about finding more about self, and understanding of the human personality. I liked this book as a curious newbie in psychoanalysis. I liked the psychoanalysis theory proposed by Sigmund Freud. This book was actually compiled by Freud’s youngest daughter Anna Freud, this has a nice collection of published works including conference papers and talks given by Freud. This book was was published in 1900s & was way ahead of its time.
October 1, 2012
Freud's mind was so gifted at unmasking the symbolism employed by our subconscious, and explaining their effects on our outward behavior.
November 20, 2024
According to Werner herzog, there exists the notion that psychoanalysis helped fuck up the 20th century
I only read the dreams section, then fell asleep.
I only read the dreams section, then fell asleep.
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