It would be an unusual family in which
the parents wanted a child to know about Sigmund Freud and his theory of
psychoanalysis. But for such families,
there is Sigmund Freud: Pioneer of the Mind, written in clear prose with
a wealth of excellent photographs of the Freud family and others who know the
great man. In 150 pages, Catherine
Reef gives a very sympathetic portrayal of the founder of psychoanalysis and
his theories, put into the context of the important sociopolitical events and
trends during Freud’s lifetime. The
book pays particular attention to Freud’s early years, his training as a
doctor, his marriage to Martha Bernays, and his various theories and
experiments with hypnosis before formulating his views about the childhood
genesis of neurosis and the importance of dreams as the window to our
unconscious wishes.

The book does a good job of setting
out Freud’s views and it is especially interesting in relating his work to the
First World War and the phenomenon of shell-shock. Reef also does well in explaining the rise of the Nazi’s in
Germany and Austria and the persecution of the Jews. She covers most of the essentials of psychoanalytic theory,
including Freud’s original “seduction theory” and his later abandonment of it. She has a talent for capturing complexities
in relatively simple language.

Reef’s descriptions of Freud tend
to be extremely positive. Consider, for
example, her account of his self-analysis, after his father’s death in 1896.

Freud’s early memories were
much on his mind, and he began a daring project: the analysis of his own
psyche. He spent part of each day
reliving childhood events and examining how they had shaped his later
life. It took courage and rare honesty
to confront the dark side of his personality. 
He had to face up to fears and urges that most people hide from
themselves. This, however, was a task
that needed to be done. Freud believed
that he would never have a full understanding of his patients’ mental processes
until he had fathomed his own. (pp. 59-60).

Those who
are unsympathetic to psychoanalysis may find that Reef’s picture of Freud as
intrepid explorer paints too rosy a picture. 
She pays little attention to the disputes that raged from the start over
the credibility of Freud’s theories. 
When she does discuss disagreement, she describes Freud as a
mild-mannered advocate of the truth, facing unreasonable opposition often
motivated by anti-Semitism. 
Nevertheless, this would serve as a good introduction for teenagers or
adults looking for a simple explanation of the development of
psychoanalysis. Readers wanting more
detail and complexity would do well to read Peter Gay’s excellent biography Freud:
A Life for Our Time.

© 2002 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring,
Ph.D., is Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island.
He is editor of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on
philosophical issues in psychiatry. He is especially interested in exploring
how philosophers can play a greater role in public life, and he is keen to help
foster communication between philosophers, mental health professionals, and the
general public.

Categories: Psychoanalysis