The "defense" of Sigmund Freud.

Abstract

There has been a persistent and increasing reevaluation of why Freud abandoned his seduction theory. The first part of this article contends that Freud could not emotionally tolerate the implications the seduction theory had for his father or himself and rejected the theory because of internal conflict. The second part reveals the weaknesses of J. Masson's (1984) argument that Freud abandoned seduction due to external conflicts-the desire to win the approval of his medical colleagues. The third part offers evidence that the Oedipus complex did not immediately replace seduction theory as an explanation of hysterical symptoms. Further, it is an elusive hypothetical construct not always observed by therapists, has never been satisfactorily measured, and its explanation as a causal role in psychopathology is questionable. The Defense of Sigmund FreudWithin the last several years there has been considerable attention directed towards Freud's self-analysis, his personal conflicts, and the credibility of psychoanalysis as a method of obtaining knowledge about psychological functioning. Much of die focus of these investigations has been directed at the time in Freud's life when he abandoned his seduction theory of neurosis/hysteria and founded, instead, the Oedipus complex.

Does the Oedipus complex exist?

“…He argued that the seduction theory was unpopular among the Viennese-German medical community and the oedipal theory would, from Freud’s perspective, be more acceptable. A third view (the "internal threat" view) is that Freud could not psychologically endure what acknowledgment of the validity of the seduction theory meant for him and his family, that is, that his father may have sexually molested him as well as his siblings and Freud may, himself, have seduced some of his sisters (Krull, 1986; Kupfersmid, 1992). Each of these perspectives suggests a different interpretation of the data that lead to the formulation of the Oedipus complex, as well as differences in the time at which the transition from Freud’s belief in the seduction theory was replaced by his belief that the Oedipus complex is the primary cause of neurosis.…”

“…The obvious conclusion is that he and his sisters were sexually abused and (presumably through self-analysis) his father was the culprit. As a means of psychologically defending himself against such a conclusion, "the Oedipus complex gradually evolved as an acceptable defense (rationalization) that Freud could intellectually believe" (Kupfersmid, 1992, p. 297).…”

“…Contrary to Freud’s own statements, he was not an outcast in medical circles. But, perhaps, most important of all, there is little evidence that Freud’s promotion of the Oedipus complex as the etiology of neurosis was any better received by his colleagues than was his promotion of the seduction theory (Kupfersmid, 1992).…”

“…However, he did acknowledge that in a minority of cases sexual abuse does lead to psychopathology. Kupfersmid (1992) traces the gradual change in Freud’s beliefs in letters he wrote to his confidant, Wilhelm Fliess. These letters suggest that when Freud introduced the Oedipus complex he was not convinced of its veracity.…”

A draft of Lethe: A neglected statement from the works of Sigmund Freud.

“…Kupfersmid mentions this passage of Freud from February, 1897, when he stated that his (Freud’s) father, "was alas one of those perverts, etc." (Kupfersmid, 1992). Kupfersmid, however, does not wish to propose that Freud himself ’was actually seduced’, only that Freud "believed that he was seduced" because that was the ultimate consequence of his theory that all hysteria stems from seduction by the father.…”