He's Back
I honestly didn't think I’d see it in my lifetime. There has been a renewed resurgence of interest in Sigmund Freud. There is even a new publication out which draws on matters he considered of importance: Parapraxis. I’m looking forward to the first issue which will arrive soon in my mailbox.
When I was in graduate school we studied his work. However, at that time, with the advent of shorter-term psychotherapies, he wasn’t so much in vogue.
Don’t get me wrong. Of course people can benefit from the briefer, more contemporary forms of treatment. I’ve seen people make significant strides in courses of therapy which are limited to 1-5 sessions. At the same time, doing some deeper, thoughtful reflection on how we arrived at the point where we are in life can be very helpful and useful.
Freud was the pioneer in the field. As is the case with most trail blazers, he was right about some things and off the mark with some others. That’s how it goes. But he understood that figuring out how to live out one’s life was and still is an important life task that’s ongoing. Not one that can be reduced to a few catchy bromides.
Look around at the context in which we live these days. Evidence of peoples’ defense mechanisms at work is all around. An example: Think about the attitudes of some groups toward other groups. No shortage of projection there. Understanding this and unpacking its implications is something that takes both effort and time.
I notice that younger folks have been revisiting his work. Interesting. Perhaps there is an emerging awareness that not everything lends itself to a quick fix. Some matters require a deeper, more thoughtful drilling down process and some heavy lifting.
At my home there is a bust of Freud. Honestly, I haven’t put it in my work office. Perhaps I’ll give that some reconsideration.