A General Introduction to PsychoanalysisFreud, Sigmund
Science
A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis
Freud, Sigmund
Psychoanalysis
By thus bringing into prominence the unconscious in psychic life, we
have raised the most evil spirits of criticism against psychoanalysis.
Do not be surprised at this, and do not believe that the opposition is
directed only against the difficulties offered by the conception of the
unconscious or against the relative inaccessibility of the experiences
which represent it. I believe it comes from another source. Humanity, in
the course of time, has had to endure from the hands of science two
great outrages against its naive self-love. The first was when humanity
discovered that our earth was not the center of the universe, but only
a tiny speck in a world-system hardly conceivable in its magnitude. This
is associated in our minds with the name "Copernicus," although
Alexandrian science had taught much the same thing. The second occurred
when biological research robbed man of his apparent superiority under
special creation, and rebuked him with his descent from the animal
kingdom, and his ineradicable animal nature. This re-valuation, under
the influence of Charles Darwin, Wallace and their predecessors, was not
accomplished without the most violent opposition of their
contemporaries. But the third and most irritating insult is flung at the
human mania of greatness by present-day psychological research, which
wants to prove to the "I" that it is not even master in its own home,
but is dependent upon the most scanty information concerning all that
goes on unconsciously in its psychic life. We psychoanalysts were
neither the first, nor the only ones to announce this admonition to look
within ourselves. It appears that we are fated to represent it most
insistently and to confirm it by means of empirical data which are of
importance to every single person. This is the reason for the widespread
revolt against our science, the omission of all considerations of
academic urbanity, and emancipation of the opposition from all
restraints of impartial logic. We were compelled to disturb the peace of
the world, in addition, in another manner, of which you will soon come
to know.
NINETEENTH LECTURE
GENERAL THEORY OF THE NEUROSES
_Resistance and Suppression_
In order to progress in our understanding of the neuroses, we need new
experiences and we are about to obtain two. Both are very remarkable and
were at the time of their discovery, very surprising. You are, of
course, prepared for both from our discussions of the past semester.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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