Re: Was freud a Scientist?

[Scott Lilienfeld]

Chris et al.: I assume that the correspondence to which Todd refers is the famous 1934 exchange between the American psychologist (of Washington University) Saul Rosenzweig (who passed away last year) and Sigmund Freud.  Rosenzweig sent Freud a description of some experimental work he had conducted that appeared to verify the existence of repression, and Freud responded by informing Rosenzweig that his interesting work was in essence an act of supererogation given the enormous mountain of evidence already available to corroborate psychoanalytic propositions.       Here's a brief description that I fished off a Web Site: In a letter written in 1934 to the American psychologist Saul Rosenzweig Freud reacts to the suggestion to perform experimental test of psychoanalytic assertions with some polite words but then continues: "The wealth of dependable observations on which these assertions rest make them independent of experimental verification. Still, they can do no harm." ....Scott  In any case, the example that Todd provides of a single letter (written when? to whom?) hardly makes the general case. (Imagine if someone attempt to dismiss *your* whole career by citing the last time to "brushed off" an annoying stranger who e-mailed their "study" that "proved" wrong something you had been working on your whole adult life. Yes, of course you "should" check each thing on its merits, but there are only so many hours in the day... and how much material of this sort do famous receive? I'm *not* famous and already get a ton of inappropriate e-mail requests.) -- Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Psychology, Room 206 Emory University 532 N. Kilgo Circle Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (404) 727-1125 (phone) (404) 727-0372 (FAX) Home Page: http://www.emory.edu/PSYCH/Faculty/lilienfeld.html The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice: www.srmhp.org The Master in the Art of Living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his intellectual passions. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him – he is always doing both. - Zen Buddhist text (slightly modified) --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]