ARe Freuds opinions and theories taken seriously or accepted today?
It really depends on which school of psychology you subscribe to, I personally prefer a cognitive behavioural approach (focus is on thinking and learning) and am not a huge fan of a lot of what psychoanalysts subscribe to. However, most psychologists will recognise the enormous contribution Freud made to psychology/psychiatry. When studying psychology you are told that his theories are now rejected and yet you are taught so much about them and their importance. He was the first to emphasise the importance of childhood experiences in later psychopathology and invented the “talking cure” which is the basis of most psychologist-client relationships today. Even in every day life people acknowledge the benefits of “catharsis” which in layman’s terms is getting something off your chest. I think Freud gets a bad rap, he was a vanguard in his time and paved the way for many of us. Still, I won’t be asking my clients to tell me about their dreams or if they fear castration by their parents.
