ABSTRACT

This chapter aims to deconstruct some of the stories about Sigmund Freud which have become taken for granted, part of psychotherapeutic folklore. When studying a figure such as Freud one faces the challenge of the volume of information and consequently one has to be selective in a process which by definition is exclusive. Freud, a self proclaimed atheist, became one of religion's most formidable critics. Freud's work sits more comfortably in the field of metapsychology. Myths about Freud have served to construct a history which, as noted, both deifies him, and or demonises him. Freud has become a valuable commodity in the biographical industry: with each commentator there is an agenda which is peculiar to them. Each has a question which drives their work, the results of which make a significant contribution to the mythology of Freud including those who have invested in finding Freud's mistakes.