Back in 1930, while Freud was still alive, the once-prominent developmentalist and evolutionist James Mark Baldwin wrote an autobiographical piece in which he appraised various trends in psychology. Not surprisingly, he praises Piaget (who had taken up much of Baldwin's own approach to development). I was struck, however, by the fact that his assessment of psychoanalysis, although dead wrong about its future (rather than winding down, it had barely gotten started), consisted of a number of criticisms that are often taken to be of more recent origin. I thought this might of interest to others as well, so I quote the relevant passage:
"The psychoanalytical movement has about spent itself, after a career of popular and unscientific propaganda, notably in the United States. Based on sometimes unreal and always extravagant presuppositions, as in the theory of the libido and in the interpretation of dreams, Freudism, nevertheless, is an instrument of some value when divorced from the applications made of it by the parlor psychologist and the charlatan. But its great defect is its shifting foundation; it rests on a morass. Results are reached showing that any symptom or character may be due equally well to the absence or presence of one or the other or both of two contradictory motives, repression and expansion, the sources of which are, fortunately for the psychoanalyst, too obscure to be subjected to examination. An individual is aggressive either because he simply is aggressive or because, being weak, he acts to expand himself in a way to cover his weakness; a character is modest either because he really is modest or because, being vain, he strives to camouflage his vanity with a covering of modesty. Alexander was militant because he was physically imposing; Wilhelm II was militant, because, having a withered arm, he must react to play the war-lord. Such are the cheap resources of psychoanalysis. Commonplaces are drawn from the profound obscurities of the subconscious. The place of sound hypothesis is too often taken by wild analogy such as those drawn from sex, and instead of sober scientific interpretations we have fanciful inferences seen at their climax in the 'Oedipus complex' and in the interpretation of dreams. The main facts of the existence of repressed impulses, of traumatism in the emotional subconscious, of release by suggestion, and of defense by "sublimation," utilized by the psychoanalysis, were established by "analytical" psychology under other and often better terms, before the appearance of Freud. The clamor made over originality is, it must be said, mainly over an originality of terms and pretensions." Regards, Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise his or her views." - Melissa Lane, in a /Guardian/ obituary for philosopher Peter Lipton ================================= --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
