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Originally posted by Sleepyjack
I am rather naive and ignorant of the whole psychanalytical dealy but was wondernig if this sorta stuff still holds up today, in any or much capacity?
Also, aside from the Oedipus (sp?) complex, in general, what other ideas/observations did Freud have?
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In my experience, much of Freud's concepts are still very much alive today, albeit in a slightly more modern/modified version. Oedipus is still used quite often in literary analysis. Electra is less used because Freud lived in a time of overt sexism and so this theory is very much skewed.
Freud's largest contributions are his theories of developmental stages of childhood (a.k.a. psychosexual stages), defense mechanisms, and the theory of id/ego/superego.
Psychosexual stage breakdown (from my Abnormal Psych class, almost verbatim):
Oral stage (0-18 mos.) - breastfeeding, focus on mouth
Anal stage (18 mos.- 3 yrs.) - potty training, focus on anus, origin of the concept of "anal retentive"
Phallic stage (3-6 yrs.) - first stages of sexual development, focus on genitals
Latency stage (6 yrs.-Pubescence) - sexual desire diminishes, focus on development of talents and skills
Genital stage (Puberty-Adulthood) - maturation of adult sexual interests
Freud believed that all sexual deviations could be explained by analyzing how the subject was raised as a child.
Defense mechanisms: Regression, denial, displacement, rationalization, intellectualization, projection, reaction formation, identification, sublimation.
id - libido & aggressive drive
ego - filters needs of id and expresses/fulfills based on societal norms and mores
superego - the "storehouse" of societal norms and behaviors
A lot of people think Freud was just some crackpot sexist, but they don't realize that much of our everyday vocabulary stems from his theories and definitions of terms.