ABSTRACT
Sigmund Freud wrote prolifically and gave us many models of the psyche, including id, ego, and super-ego, and a developmental model—oral, anal, phallic—culminating in the Oedipal triangle, with its inherent conflict and guilt. Some of his ideas are still in use today: the importance of dreams, transference, repetition compulsion, defenses, libido, etc. In addition to giving the world a theory of how the human mind operates, Freud also offered a technique for understanding and changing that mind. This technique consisted of talking freely to a practitioner four or five times each week for several years. In hearing himself think out loud and absorbing the few interpretations offered, the patient learned more about himself, slowly gathering the freedom to make new choices.
Many of the details of Freud’s work have been cast aside, but his relentless attempt to understand the human mind continues to inspire today. In our Western world, we think psychologically because of his ongoing influence: We know we are complex beings and approach life with ambivalence. We know that our childhood histories have a profound impact on our way of being in the world. Although as he aged Freud himself become pessimistic, his theories encourage optimism, by holding the belief that with awareness and insight we can change the patterns we have been given.
