Who is Sigmund Freud?
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating mental illness and understanding human behavior. He was born in Freiberg, Moravia (now Příbor, Czech Republic) to Jewish parents, and his family moved to Vienna when he was four years old.
Freud studied medicine at the University of Vienna and trained in neurology under Jean-Martin Charcot in Paris. He began practicing psychoanalysis in the 1890s and gained a following of followers known as the "Vienna Circle." Freud's ideas were highly controversial at the time, and he faced significant criticism from the medical establishment.
Some of Freud's most famous concepts include the unconscious mind, the Oedipus complex, the ego, the id, and the superego. He also developed the concept of psychosexual development, which posits that children go through a series of stages characterized by different stages of sexual development. These ideas laid the foundation for modern psychology and continue to influence the field today.
•Freud's psychosexual theory ( Oedipus&Electra ) :
Freud's theory of psychosexual development posits that children pass through several stages of development, each characterized by a particular focus on erogenous zones. According to Freud, during the phallic stage (around 3-6 years old), children become aware of their own gender and begin to develop a sense of sexual identity. This stage is marked by the Oedipus complex & the Electra complex.
The Oedipus complex, named after the Greek mythological character Oedipus, suggests that young boys have an unconscious desire to possess their mother sexually and see their fathers as rivals for their mother's intention.
This leads to a sense of guilt and anxiety, which the child resolves by identifying with the father and adopting his gender role.The Electra complex, named after the Greek mythological character Electra, suggests that young girls experience sexual desire for their fathers and view their mothers as rivals for their father's attention. This also leads to a sense of guilt and anxiety, which the child resolves by identifying with the mother and adopting her gender role.
According to Freud, a person's development and behavior are strongly influenced by their early experiences with their parents, particularly their mother. Freud believed that a child's relationship with their mother during the first few years of life is critical to the formation of their personality and social behavior.
Freud argued that infants are born with innate sexual drives that are expressed through their interactions with their mother. He believed that the mother's role is to satisfy the infant's oral needs, such as feeding and comfort, which leads to the development of a deep emotional attachment. This attachment, according to Freud, serves as the foundation for all future relationships, both romantic and non-romantic. While Freud's ideas on the role of sexuality in human development have been highly influential, they have also been widely criticized.
Critics of Freud's theory argue that it is overly focused on heterosexual, male experiences and ignores the experiences of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people from different cultures. Additionally, many of Freud's ideas about gender and sexuality have been challenged by modern research in psychology and neuroscience.
Overall, while Freud's theories have contributed to the field of gender studies, they are now considered outdated and have been significantly revised and expanded upon by contemporary scholars.