Reading this thread, I found myself quite surprised that Freud seems to be so disliked. I had no idea that him being a nutjob was the consensus, though this niche forum might not be the greatest sample size.
He’s a nutjob to evidence based researchers when it comes to theories of the mind. Psychoanalytic theories, especially Freud’s, are often unfalsifiable, meaning they aren’t effective science because no observation can disprove them. Successful scientific theories must predict better than alternatives, and must make testable predictions. There’s also simplicity, but that’s a more informal rule.
However, this doesn’t mean everything he did was worthless. His theory of the mind is similar to Plato’s theory of the soul, and Socratic philosophers have had a significant impact on modern clinical psychology separate from Freud. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic talk therapy are still measurably effective. Large issues like generating false memories exist in Freud’s methods, but many therapists now use an eclectic approach. They take what works best about different approaches to best meet their patients’ needs. Certain methods work best for some people with some conditions, but aren’t effective on other people or with other conditions.
Understanding unconscious trauma, motivations, and emotions still have their place in clinical psychology, even if his conception of the mind is outdated.
Reading this thread, I found myself quite surprised that Freud seems to be so disliked. I had no idea that him being a nutjob was the consensus, though this niche forum might not be the greatest sample size.
He’s a nutjob to evidence based researchers when it comes to theories of the mind. Psychoanalytic theories, especially Freud’s, are often unfalsifiable, meaning they aren’t effective science because no observation can disprove them. Successful scientific theories must predict better than alternatives, and must make testable predictions. There’s also simplicity, but that’s a more informal rule.
However, this doesn’t mean everything he did was worthless. His theory of the mind is similar to Plato’s theory of the soul, and Socratic philosophers have had a significant impact on modern clinical psychology separate from Freud. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic talk therapy are still measurably effective. Large issues like generating false memories exist in Freud’s methods, but many therapists now use an eclectic approach. They take what works best about different approaches to best meet their patients’ needs. Certain methods work best for some people with some conditions, but aren’t effective on other people or with other conditions.
Understanding unconscious trauma, motivations, and emotions still have their place in clinical psychology, even if his conception of the mind is outdated.
Pretty sure I remember a study that eclectic psychotherapy has lower efficacy than manual based psychotherapy, buts it been a few years…
“However, this doesn’t mean everything he did was worthless.”
Agreed - its popularity actively set back our collective understanding of the mind.