The history of the psychoanalytic movement — John Shaqi
The history of the psychoanalytic movementFreud, Sigmund
History
The history of the psychoanalytic movement
Freud, Sigmund
Psychoanalysis -- History
Another path led from the investigation of dreams to the analysis of
poetic creations, and finally to the analysis of authors and artists
themselves. Very soon it was discovered that the dreams invented by
writers stand in the same relation to analysis as do genuine dreams.[10]
The conception of the unconscious psychic activity enabled us to get the
first glimpse into the nature of the poetic creativeness. The valuation
of the emotional feelings which we were forced to recognize while
studying the neuroses enabled us to recognize the sources of artistic
productions and brought up the problem as to how the artist reacts to
those stimuli and with what means he disguises his reactions.[11] Most
psychoanalysts with wide interests have furnished contributions from
their works for the treatment of these problems, which are among the
most attractive in the application of psychoanalysis. Naturally here
also opposition was not lacking from those who are not acquainted with
analysis, and expressed itself with the same lack of understanding and
passionate rejection as on the native soil of psychoanalysis. For it was
to be expected as a matter of course, that everywhere psychoanalysis
penetrates, it would have to go through the same struggle with the
natives. However, these attempted invasions have not yet stirred up
interest in all fields which will, in the future, be open to them. Among
the strictly scientific applications of analysis to literature the deep
work of Rank on the theme of incest easily ranks first. Its content is
certain to evoke the greatest unpopularity. Philological and historical
works on the basis of psychoanalysis are few, at present. I myself dared
to venture to make the first attempt into the problems of the psychology
of religion in 1910, when I compared religious ceremonials with neurotic
ceremonials. In his work on the “piety of the Count of Zinzendorf,” as
well as in other contributions, the Rev. Dr. Pfister, of Zürich, has
succeeded in tracing back religious zealotism to perverse eroticism. In
the recent works of the Zürich School one is more likely to find that
religion becomes injected into the analysis rather than rationally
explained by it.
In my four essays on “Totem and Taboo”[12] I made the attempt to discuss
the problems of race psychology by means of analysis. This should lead
us directly to the origins of the most important institutions of our
civilization, such as state regulations, morality, religion, as well as
to the origins of the interdiction of incest and of conscience. To what
extent the relations thus obtained will be proof to criticism cannot be
determined today.
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