Introducing Freud: A Graphic Guide

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #5

by Oscar Zárate, Richard Appignanesi

Freud revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. His psychoanalytic terms such as Id, Ego, libido, neurosis and Oedipus Complex have become a part of our everyday vocabulary. But do we know what they really mean? "Introducing Freud" successfully demystifies the facts of Freud's discovery of psychoanalysis. Irreverent and witty but never trivial, the book tells the story of Freud's life and ideas from his upbringing in 19th-century Vienna, his early medical career and his encounter with cocaine, to the gradual evolution of his theories on the unconscious, dreams and sexuality. With its combination of brilliantly clever artwork and incisive text, this book has achieved international success as one of the most entertaining and informative introductions to the father of psychoanalysis.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Biography, Comics, Science, Graphic Novels

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Oscar Zárate (born 1942) is an Argentine comic book artist and illustrator. Zarate studied architecture and had a successful career in advertising in Argentina. He moved to Europe in 1971 and began to work in earnest as an illustrator. He has drawn for the UK comics magazine Crisis. In the Introducing... and ...For Beginners book series he illustrated texts written by Richard Appignanesi, Alexei Sayle, Dylan Evans, J P McEvoy, Angus Gellatly and Rupert Woodfin. He is perhaps best known in the United States as the artist for the graphic novel A Small Killing written by Alan Moore, the a full length story about a once idealistic advertising executive haunted by his boyhood self.

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The works of Freud have helped us a lot to more about the intricate functioning of the human mind. His book, The Interpretation of Dreams, is considered one of the classics in the field of Psychiatry.

Even though we can’t fully agree with all the teachings of Freud, we have to say that most of his works are simply brilliant, and he was way ahead of his generation. This book will help you to know more about Freud.
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[carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel sexy i feel smart and i actually now understand what my philosophy teacher was trying to teach me el oh el

[Melina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ένα ανάλαφρο βιβλίο με τη μορφή κόμικ που προσπαθεί να σε μυήσει στο έργο του Φρόυντ και να ξεδιαλύνει ιδέες και δυσνόητες έννοιες που καθόρισαν σε τεράστιο βαθμό τον τρόπο με τον όποιον αντιμετωπίζουμε σήμερα τις νευρώσεις και που έθεσαν τις βάσεις της λεγόμενης ψυχαναλυτικής θεωρίας, η οποία αποτελεί τμήμα της θεραπείας ενός μεγάλου εύρους ψυχικών διαταραχών.

Μια καλή αρχή για όποιον θέλει να το ψάξει περισσότερο με αναφόρες στα σημαντικότερα έργα του Φρόυντ, όπως:
1. Αφασία (1891)
2. Βρεφική εγκεφαλική παράλυση (1891-93)
3. Μελέτες για την υστερία (1895)
4. Η ερμηνεία των ονείρων (1900)
5. Η ψυχοπαθολογία της καθημερινής ζωής (1901)
6. Τρεις μελέτες για τη θεωρία της σεξουαλικότητας (1905)
7. Τοτέμ και ταμπού (1913)
8. Πένθος και μελαγχολία (1915)
9. Μέλλον μιας αυταπάτης (1928)
10. Ο πολιτισμός ως πηγή δυστυχίας (1929)

Αναφορές από τις μελέτες της υστερίας, τις μελέτες της κοκαϊνης, την επινόηση του όρου της ψυχανάλυσης, το οιδιπόδειο σύμπλεγμα και την παιδική σεξουαλικότητα, την ερμηνεία των ονείρων, τη διερευνηση του ασυνειδήτου, τον τοτεμισμό και την αιμομειξία, τον ναρκισσισμό, το πένθος και τη μελαγχολία, το θάνατο.

Δίδονται με ξεκάθαρο τρόπο και αρκετά απλοϊκά διάφορες περιπτώσεις ασθενών όπως η περίφημη υπόθεση της Άννας Ο., η ιστορία του μικρού Χανς, η ιστορία του ποντικανθρώπου, καθώς επίσης και έννοιες όπως της μετάθεσης και των φροϋδικών συμβόλων, της καθήλωσης, της παλινδρόμησης, της αναστροφής, της ενδοπροβολής και της ψυχαναγκαστικής επαναληψιμότητας. Γίνονται αναφορές στην αρχή της ηδονής (που αντανακλά το ασυνείδητο, τα πρωτόγονα ένστικτα και άρα ουσιαστικά τις πρωτογενείς λειτουργείες) και στην αρχή της πραγματικότητας (που αντανακλά το προσυνείδητο και τις δευτερογενείς λειτουργείες). Ο Φρόυντ θεωρεί πως όλη η ανθρώπινη σκέψη βασίζεται σε συμβιβασμούς και συγκρούσεις μεταξύ προσυνειδήτου και ασυνειδήτου.

Μελετώντας την παιδική σεξουαλικότητα και τα στάδια της ψυχοσεξουαλικής ανάπτυξης εκφράζει μια ενδιαφέρουσα άποψη. Ότι δηλαδή μόνο στους ανθρώπους η σεξουαλική ζωή εμφανίζεται σε δύο φάσεις: τη νηπιακή ηλικία και την εφηβεία. Πράγμα που είναι άγνωστο στα άλλα ζώα και που παίζει σπουδαίο ρόλο στον εξανθρωπισμό. Εδώ θα τολμήσω να προσθέσω πως και ενδοκρινολογικά στηρίζεται η θεωρία αυτή εφόσον οι υποφυσιακές ορμόνες που διεγείρουν τους όρχεις και τις ωοθήκες προς παραγωγή στεροειδών ορμονών του φύλου παρουσιάζουν αιχμές αυξομειώσεων σε νεογνική και πρώιμη βρεφική ηλικία και σε εφηβική ηλικία. Μάλιστα η εμβρυική και νεογνική ηλικία χαρακτηρίζονται ως mini puberty (μικρή εφηβεία). Οι αυξομείωσεις αυτές μειώνονται στην προεφηβική ηλικία λόγω της δράσης ενός νευροπεπτιδίου (NPY). Παραθέτω αντίστοιχο απόσπασμα από το pubmed:

''Minipuberty consists of activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis during the neonatal period, resulting in high gonadotropin and sex steroid levels, and occurs mainly in the first 3–6 months of life in both sexes. The rise in the levels of these hormones allows for the maturation of the sexual organs''.

Άλλη μια ενδιαφέρουσα άποψη είναι ότι ο σκοπός της ψυχικής δραστηριότητας είναι να μειώσει την ένταση που προκαλείται από διάφορα ένστικτα ή εξωτερική διέγερση. Η ψυχαναγκαστική επαναληπτικότητα είναι μια ενστικτώδης παλινδρομική αρχή που αποσκοπεί στην επιστροφή σε μια κατάσταση τελείως απαλλαγμένη από κάθε μορφή ενέργειας - το θάνατο. Και άρα ''Σκοπός όλης της ζωής είναι ο θάνατος''.

Πώς διαβάζοντας το Άκου Ανθρωπάκο κατέληξα να το αφήσω στη μέση και να καταβροχθήσω σε μια μέρα το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, πραγματικά ούτε εγώ το κατάλαβα. Όμως μέσα σ'αυτό το βιβλίο βρήκα μια απάντηση που μου άρεσε πολύ σχετικά με την ψυχολογία της μάζας και την εξουσία, θέματα που διαπραγματεύεται ο Ράιχ στο Άκου Ανθρωπάκο.

''Πώς ταυτίζουν οι άνθρωποι τον εαυτό τους σε μια ομάδα ή κοινωνία;
Η πρόσδεση του λίμπιντο σ'ένα αντικείμενο μπορεί να γίνει σε μαζική κλίμακα.
Τα άτομα βάζουν ένα και το αυτό αντικείμενο στη θέση του υπέρ-εγώ. Μέσα στο εγώ τους, ταυτίζουν στους εαυτούς τους ο ένας με τον άλλον.
Ας πούμε όμως ότι το υπερεγώ παραδίνεται σε κάποιον αρχηγό. Τι συμβαίνει τότε;
Δημιουργείται ένα πολύ επικίνδυνο είδος μαζικής ''ερωτοπληξίας''. Που είναι ό,τι ακριβώς συνέβη στη Γερμανία της δεκαετίας του 30''.

(▪Το ''εκείνο'' ή ''προεγώ'' αντιπροσωπεύει τα αρχέγονα ένστικτα και τις βασικές ανάγκες, είναι έμφυτο και αποτελέι ουσιαστικά το ασυνείδητο.
▪Το ''εγώ'' αποτελεί το λογικό, συνειδητό μέρος που δεν είναι έμφυτο αλλά αναπτύσσεται και καλλιεργείται.
▪Το ''υπερεγώ'' αντιπροσωπεύει έναν ''εσωτερικό αστυνόμο'' ή αλλιώς τις θετικές ηθικές και κοινωνικές αξίες του ατόμου, αποτελώντας κατά κάποιο τρόπο την ηθική συνείδηση.)

''Οι άνθρωποι μπορεί να επιζητούν ενστικτωδώς την ηδονή, καταβάλλουν όμως περισσότερη προσπάθεια προκειμένου να αποφύγουν τον πόνο. Η πραγματικότητα παρέχει πολύ περισσότερες ευκαιρίες να δοκιμάσει κανείς την εμπειρία του πόνου παρά αυτήν της ηδονής. Γι'αυτό ο περισσότερος κόσμος θα θυσίαζε την ηδονή, αν ο πολιτισμός μπορούσε σε αντάλλαγμα να προσφέρει λιγότερο πόνο''.

Στο τέλος περιλαμβάνει και Λεξικό Όρων Ψυχανάλυσης, πολύ βοηθητικό για την κατανόηση αυτού και άλλων ανάλογων βιβλίων.

[তানজীম রহমান · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a super-fun read.
I was delighted when Wasee Ahmed Rafi sent me this book as a gift. I was already familiar with this series, I'd previously bought 'Introducing Postmodernism' and 'Introducing Modernism'; and I enjoyed them both. This one was no exception.
The book takes you on a brief, truncated tour through Freud's life and ideas. The writing is punchy and to the point, a paragraph per page at most. Although the writer doesn't go too in-depth regarding any of the ideas, that is because it's not the purpose of the book. It's supposed to be an introduction, and it does introduce everything there is to know about Freud competently.
But the highlight of the book is the illustrations. Often providing necessary humor but never compromising clarity, the artwork in this book is splendid. I would love to see an animated version of the book, documentary style.
If you were ever curious about Freud but all those heavy books kept you at a distance, please give this a try.

[Dov Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to Freud as a theorist, a therapist and a human. It is clear in the course of the book that with his clients, Freud is really trying to understand trauma and "anti-social" behavior in order to help people manage their daily lives and social connections. At the same time, he seems to get obsessed with "fixing" people, trying to make them function within fairly limited, limiting conditions, which I find to be worrisome.

The book also did a great job of showing his efforts as he over-does it a bit trying to create a theoretical and even metaphorical framework that encompasses every facet of human behavior, with sexuality at the core, and this effort leads him into the woods of his own thinking, where he can really get lost and forget that his thinking isn't only about thinking. And clearly his effortfully theorized work has led a lot of psychologists, social workers and therapists down some pretty questionable paths. At the same time, he is certainly an important and influential thinker, which is all fine and good, as long as his ideas are taken with some several grains of salt.

It was sad to witness his struggle with relationships and with poor health. I have read quite a bit about and by Freud over the years, but I had some moments of clarity when reading this, about his own relationship struggles. He doesn't seem to very willing to accept criticism of others, which limits conversations that might have led to some stunning collaborative work. But that is not to say he isn't critical of his own work, or that he considers it to be without flaws.

All in all, he is a complicated character who struggles with his own wayward (?) desires and fantasies and limitations and seems to fluctuate between making an argument for acceptance of a larger diversity of human behavior, culture and sexuality, and wanting to confine the scope of what is normal until it is too narrow to accept almost any human behavior.

One thing I would have liked to learn more from in this book is his relationship with his closest family members. They are mentioned, but mostly in passing.

[ramsha! :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro really pissed himself once and used it to justify making his life's work about intergenerational incest 💀💀

[izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5? idk? this was good im j not big on nonfiction... i def learned abt some interesting concepts but i think the language in this book is a bit too high level for me or smt 😭 it feels as if it uses the word in the definition a lot? or it would use concepts i didnt fully understand to explain another concept so of course i didnt get the new concept? idk. ig it doesnt matter too much bc many of his theories have been disproven. might need to watch a youtube vid to make everything i j learned make sense in my brain.

[Madi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como principiante, achei muito goofy. Normalizem explicar conceitos de formas divertidas. Definitivamente continuo a saber quase nada sobre as teorias dele mas é uma introdução sólida a conceitos que podem ser um bocado complicados (ou então eu é que sou b-).

[Fabio Luís Pérez Candelier · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Freud para principiantes" de Richard Appignanesi, ensayo que ofrece un recorrido accesible e introductorio, a través de viñetas, ilustraciones y textos concisos, así como, un tono didáctico, irreverente e irónico, de la compleja vida y obra de Sigmund Freud, con un equilibrio entre simplicidad y rigor, explora los principales hitos de su vida, las tensiones con algunos de sus discípulo, los pilares del psicoanálisis y sus diversos conceptos abstractos: el inconsciente, el yo, el ello, el superyó, la libido, el Complejo de Edipo, la interpretación de los sueños, la sexualidad, la infancia, etc. Ayudando a comprender el impacto y las controversias que significaron, en su contexto social, histórico y cultural, las ideas de Freud.

[Köksal KÖK · Rating 5 out of 5]

konu başlıklarından bazıları;

-ırkçılık,
-sefalet,
-viyana,
-charcot ile 19 hafta,
-anna o. vakası,
-psiknaliz,
-serbest çağrışım tekniği,
-insanlık için önemli bir ilerleme,
-serbest çağrışım tekniğinin yardımıyla hatırlama,
-düşlerin yorumu,
-bir saplantı nevrozlusu,
-oidipus öyküsü,
-düş analizinin önemi,
-bilinçdışı,
-haz ilkesi,
-çocukluğa dönüş,
-bireyin cinsel tarihi, doğumuyla başlar,
-birinci bölge: oral dönem,
-ikinci bölge: anal aşama,
-üçüncü bölge: fallik dönemi,
-küçük hans vakası,
-4. gizlilik dönemi,
-bilgi, sağlık mıdır?
-1. devrim, kozmoloji,
-2. devrim, biyoloji, darwin,
-freudun 3. devrimi: bilinçdışının psikolojisi,
-sıçan adam-fare adam, bir saplantı nevrozu vakası üzerine notler,
-psikanaliz hareketi, 1902
-totemcilik ve ensest,
-terapi sorunları,
-narkisos efsanesi,
-normal narsisizm,
-anormal narsisizm,
-1914-18, 1. dünya savaşı,
-yas tutma ve melankoli, 1915
-ölüm içgüdüsü ya da thanatos,
-yaşam içgüdüsü ya da eros,
-acılı yıllar, 1920, 23
-ben id ve üst ben,
-küçük sözlük, s.169

dikkatle okudum, altını çizerek, sağına soluna notlar alarak: amaa, önce tabii ki varsa kaynakça ve sözlük bölümlerini önce okur incelerim.

bir konuda araştırma mı yapıyorum;

-önce kısa bi vikipedi bilgisi,
-sonra giriş kitabı,
-daha sonra konuyla ilgili tarihi bir roman,
-en sonunda da, bir temel oluştupu için, akademik yayınları kitapları okumaya geçebilirim.

herkes için, yeni başlayanlar için, acemiler için, aptallar için, şuna bunaa giriş... gibi giriş-temel kitaplar, benim için çok çok değerli. zira olayın konunun abcsini öğrenmek, kısa bir vikipedi bilgisi edinmek çok çok önemli.

kitap, freudun hayatını çalışmalarını kronolojik olarak, çizimlerle gayet anlaşılır ve doyurucu bir şekilde anlatıyor. tüm psikoloji öğrencileri ve de herkes okumalı bence.

içinde, acayip bilgiler var; özellikle vakalar.
2.2.2018

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the 'Introducing' series, they really do make complex theoretical literature accessible. This one was especially quick to read and clearly explained. Indeed, in comparison to Lacan's convolutions Freud seems positively staid. Of course, Freud's work has filtered into the mainstream far more thoroughly, so his terminology seems much more familiar than Lacan's. This book provides a useful explanation for what Freud actually meant, though, as the vague understanding I'd gained from popular culture was incoherent. It's funny how many of Freud's terms have entered popular speech, really. Someone being 'anal' about something, a Freudian slip (apparently his term was 'parapraxis'), and the Oedipus complex occur in conversation with relative frequency.

Actually, it's interesting to compare Freud's current reputation to his actual work. He often seems to be dismissed these days as a sex-obsessed crank, but he pioneered the 'talking cure' approach to treating mental disorders and this continues to thrive. It is his emphasis on sexuality as the motivation behind nearly all behaviour that has been dismissed. I didn't previously realise, also, that he was moved the concept of 'hysteria' away from being exclusively female and wrote about how femininity and masculinity are social constructions rather than absolutes.

As with every other bit of psychoanalytic theory I've read, I just can't believe that there is a single universal model for human development and behaviour. Freud's may apply in some cases, but his emphasis on the Oedipus complex and infantile sexuality doesn't convince me. I rather like his model of the id, ego, and super-ego, though, as long as the impulses and desires within the model aren't all assumed to be sexual. Likewise, 'libido' is a tricky concept. As far as I can tell, Freud identifies it almost exclusively with sexuality, whereas I think Lacan did so only partially (distinguishing a 'sexual libido'). Personally, I think Lacan's definition is more helpful, although his theories are bewilderingly complicated.

I also wondered whilst reading this to what extent Freud thought the purpose of psychoanalysis was to achieve sort of ideal, balanced personality. Labelling fetishists, for example, as neurotics implies that they should identify the root of that behaviour and stop doing it. You could also argue, though, that if their neurosis isn't hurting anyone and doesn't upset them, there is no need. Psychoanalytic theory seems to have been taken up in the sphere of political theory, at least in the bit of Žižek that I've managed to read. That makes me think of psychoanalysis as a potential tool for persuasion, or simply to reduce heterogeneity. Rather than speculating vaguely, however, I should just read more Žižek. After all, the reason I've been working my way through several of the 'Introducing' series is that they provide helpful stepping stones towards reading and understanding other books. They are useful enablers.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of Freud's key ideas.

[silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

me han obligado a leerlo me quiero morir

[Fardos Mohamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's a great introduction to both his life as well as his main theories. It breaks the key concepts down into bite-sized parts that are easier to read about.
That being said, what a fascinating person Freud was in all the weird ways. I can't believe this man was real cuz gosh he sounds like such a character and caricature.

[elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm well I just decided to read this lol but it was actually really informative and it was quite interesting reading about Freud and his theories. If you’re interested in Psychology but find it a lil difficult, this is quite helpful!

[Nandini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting introduction to Freud

This was a good and informative introduction to the world-famous(infamous? ) psychologist Sigmund Freud. I enjoyed reading it, and the book is beginner-friendly: just having the right dose of explanation and moving on.

[Shubham Kansal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An introduction to Sigmund Freud work

Why I read this book?💯
---------------------------------
Dr. Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Many books had mentioned his name and the most famous book is "think and grow rich". His name always fascinate me and made me curious enough to know more about him. This book is a graphic book. It would be interesting to read it.

What you learn from this book?💯
------------------------------------------------
This book is a treasure for the ones who likes to read behavioural and psychological subjects. It provide you a short glimpse of Sigmund Freud works. He was often called the founder of psychology. He extensively used psychological methods to cure his patients.
It contains the methods that he used to cure them. Many personal life stories of Sigmund Freud is also written in it.
Most of the work of Freud is based on unconscious, libido and sexuality.
Explicit images are used in almost every topic.

Women's termed Freud as a anti feminist.
Freud made a acidulous remark that
" Women is penis envy "
-------------------------------
Last chapter of the book is a dictionary of Sigmund psychology terms.

Part of the book💯:-
--------------------------
Any manifest object which suggests penetration, such as swords, guns, umbrellas, snakes, etc., can symbolize the penis. Objects suggesting receptacles, such as boxes, purses, caves, etc., can symbolize the vagina. But Freud warns that interpretation is never so simple.

Who should read this book?💯
------------------------------------------
As I already mentioned earlier this book is must who study psychology and behaviour.

My Ratings ⭐⭐⭐
One ⭐ for the Sigmund Freud himself
One ⭐ for giving it comic like feel
One ⭐ for including a dictionary
One ❌ because of not describing the method in easy way. It include many hard words which is even difficult for me who read good books on this subject. Dictionary is only helpful in meaning but not in explaining the method.
One ❌ because it get boring midway due to again the same factor as mentioned above.

[Lily Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me and my friends each bought a copy with coins we fished out of a river, the fever dream life of Freud lived up to the manner in which we obtained the book

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastiske illustrasjoner. Dessverre bar de litt for mye av ansvaret for å sørge for at boken var «for begynnere». Der tittelen hinter til en lettlest innføring i Freuds liv og tanker, bommer skrivestilen, særlig i møte med psykoanalytikerens teorier lenger ut i boken. Måten teoriene er beskrevet på, gjør at boken fungerer bedre som et oppslagsverk for noen som allerede har noenlunde god kontroll på Freud, men trengte en oppfriskning før neste middagsselskap. For de som derimot ikke er kjent med Freuds konsepter, blir mange ord og utrykk uforståelige i seg selv - det er her en begynner hadde trengt litt flere forklaringer. Om boken hadde blitt skrevet i dag, 44 år senere, hadde den nok sett annerledes ut. Kanskje det er vi begynnere som har blitt dummere. Kanskje Truls Wyller som oversetter skaper en fallgrop. Som mester på sitt felt kan det være vanskelig å sette seg inn i hva en begynner forstår og hva som (ikke) sier seg selv. Men det er begrenset hva en oversetter kan gjøre i så korte formater, her har nok forfatter Appignanesis skrivestil vært avgjørende.

Ellers gjør bokens gode tempo den til en pageturner, noe som ikke er gitt innen sakprosa. Dette skyldes hyppige vekslinger mellom Freuds til tider dramatiske liv, teorier, gresk mytologi og sprø pasienthistorier. Zarates tegninger puster liv i de snart 50 år gamle sidene og karakterene de huser. Illustrasjonene i seg selv gjør denne boken til en liten skatt verdt å ha i bokhyllen.

[Olga Torras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grata sorpresa. Un pequeño libro que combina la información con lo que solo puede describirse como arte gráfico. Geniales dibujos con un punto satírico ilustran y sobretodo complementan aquello que el libro va contando. Está escrito de manera autobiográfica con lo que ayuda a entender el personaje en su contexto y también su obra. Me quedo con los dibujos e ilustraciones y mi única pega es que la
Resolución de algunas imágenes podría ser mejor pero se disfruta mucho. Se lee en una tarde (que llueva).

[Myle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un modo dovertente di conoscefe la vita di Freud.
Letto tutto d'un fiato.

[jo]

it's not what it looks like, I was forced to read this

[Gi Reina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expone muy bien las ideas de Freud, algo desfasadas en mi opinión. A pesar de la temática, los dibujos hace la teoría un poco más amena.

[Mohammad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too graphic

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me rectifico que si no hay una persona que me deja de seguir 😔😔

[Ellen-Arwen Tristram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. Ummmm... I've never read a book with so many penises in it ROFL >.<

Actually, for what it's worth, this is a good introduction to Freud. Yes, it's a graphic novel, but with a much greater proportion of text to pictures than in your average graphic novel so you can really get some proper information about Freud (not saying that I'll remember all the details but it was clearly described and succinct - when it wasn't being deliberately rambling, that is... )

It's a truncated history, obviously, but it's a good one and strikes the right balance of humour and information (the pictures carried a lot of the humour).

Definitely recommend to anyone who's curious about Freud!

[Enya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to figure out what this book is trying to achieve and what audience it's trying to pitch to but it's a good springboard to jump from.

Pros
- Easily the best part of this book is the artwork, it keeps the text engaging and adds a nice touch of humour to the whole thing (plus the many subtle penises hidden everywhere kept it interesting!)
- It can be read in under two hours making this a bite-size way to get a little more familiar with the topic
- The 'Little Dictionary' at the back was brilliantly helpful but it should've been at the beginning!

Cons
- This is an overview rather than an introduction, I found it quite hard to access and needed a bit of help from dear old Google
- The explanations could have done with more/better examples, I found them confusing rather than helpful
- I get a strong impression that this book is aimed at a psychology/sociology student audience rather than a layman or someone with a casual interest in psychology, despite its title


I found the title of this book misleading - it wasn't so much an introduction to Freud but a brief summary of his ideas accompanied by very brief examples of them in action and the tiniest mentions of his personal life. Unless you already know what's going on, it just doesn't make all that much sense as the explanations and technical terms come at you hard and fast. At the very end of the book, I found the 'Little Dictionary' of terms. This added much greater understanding to the book, I only wish the dictionary was at the beginning (or that it was mentioned at the beginning) so I could've used it alongside the reading. I do think this would be far more useful as a revision tool rather than an introductory text, there have got to be simpler ways to introduce Freud than this book.
Though the book is short, be prepared to spend some time online digging around for simpler explanations or further examples to the theories that are mentioned.

I've now read a handful of books from this series and the comic-book style never fails to disappoint. As I've come to expect, the illustrations manage to be funny, entertaining and are a brilliant addition to the text. They really stood out here as the memorable drawings creatively flow with the text to make the whole book more engaging and the complemented the ideas, particularly the more sensitive areas regarding the discussions on incest and the sexuality of prepubescent children as it gave such taboo issues a different degree of approachability. Some of the illustrations were a bit distasteful but if you're reading anything to do with Freud and you're not at some point squirming in your chair, you're probably doing it wrong (or at least, too often!).

[Sofia Acero · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Desde que inicié el estudio del inconsciente, me encontré a mí mismo muy interesante”

Freud, ese hombre que nos observa con mirada crítica, que parece que nos analiza hasta el alma. Esta expresión tiene todo el sentido del mundo si consideramos que es el padre del Psicoanálisis y se dedicó a explorar una parte de nosotros oculta e importante: el inconsiente. Si bien sus teorías en la actualidad tienen varios críticos -sobre todo considerando el aspecto sociológico- lo cierto es que sus descubrimientos han cambiado nuestra percepción de nosotros mismos. No obstante, ¿realmente cuánto sabemos?

Sé que estos temas de psicología y psicoanálisis parecen muy confusos. Por eso, agradezco muchísimo tener libros como Freud para principiantes. En primer lugar, me gustó la manera en la que expusieron información como la infancia de Freud, su carácter de mayor, los problemas de salud que tuvo, cómo impacto su contexto con su trabajo y todos los avances que tuvo para intentar explicar lo que sucede en nuestra mente.

“Es un buen ejercicio ser del todo sincero consigo mismo”

Si tuviera que poner un pero, sería que me encontré con algunos errores de ortografía y habían ilustraciones que no terminé de comprender. Seguramente me falta un poco más de contexto o entender el humor del autor, Richard Appignanesi; pero sin duda quiero seguir leyendo y disfrutando las adaptaciones a ilustraciones/cómics/mangas de diferentes obras, como la de Shakespare.

“La ciencia moderna aún no ha producido un medicamento tranquilizador tan eficaz como lo son unas pocas palabras bondadosas

Para terminar, creo que este libro es muy instructivo y útil para acercarse a todo este tema de la psicología. Gocé mucho poder tener un vistazo de estos temas en mi universidad y conocer obras como esta que me ayudan a comprenderme mejor. Sin duda alguna, esto de conocernos a nosotros mismos es muy interesante.

[Johannes Duckeck · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst Introducing book I have read so far. It is also the shortest, I believe, with more emphasis on the graphics than the text, and fewer long text sections. Oscar Zarate’s illustration are often more one the weird or grotesque side of things, but in this book it really only served to make Freud’s life seem like a long, neurotic fever dream. (Also they are very graphically sexual). The authors only succeeded if they tried to convey that Freud was as neurotic and haunted as the patients they described him having.
There is very little on his professional work in hospitals or institutions, and what is included is only used as illustrations of Freud’s ideas. His ideas are at least discussed in a somewhat logical sequence, but the illustrations did not feel adequately implemented to me.
I don’t think I learned much about Freud’s life that I didn’t know. In that way this Introducing book is much different from all the others I have read, as I have never actively sought out to study aby detail about Freud’s life. I excitedly picked up this book because of my perceived importance of his ideas in society as a whole, but I gained no insight as to whether my perception is true or not. All this book has made me think is that Freud must have been a poor, troubled lunatic, but I cannot believe that this is true.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μπορεί εκ πρώτης όψεως να φαίνεται ένα εύκολο βιβλίο (κυρίως λόγω της εύστοχης χιουμοριστικής εικονογράφισης), αλλά υπάρχει συμπυκνωμένο πολύ μηνύμα και γνώση.
Ο αναγνώστης πρέπει να επιμείνει για να "χωνέψει" τα νοήματα, ειδικά εάν δεν είναι εξικειωμένος με τα φροϋδικά πονήματα. Επίσης η μετάφραση στα ελληνικά από τον κο. Χίτζο και κα. Σαζαντζόγλου είναι λεπτοδουλεμένη και εξαιρετικά ποιοτική.