Evaluation of the relevance of

Freuds Psychoanalytic Theory in

the 21st century
to us he is no more a person
now but a whole climate of opinion
W. H. Auden
Freuds Psychoanalytic Theory shook the fundamental ideas within Psychology,
changing the way we looked at the field forever. Although the theory mainly
focuses on Personality Psychology, the concepts and ideas quickly spread out
and catalysed the development of new theories and branches within Psychology.
The Psychoanalytical Theory is based on the concept of Psychosocial conflict,
which can be described as internal conflict between sexual and aggressive drives
in the psyche, controlled by the Id, and social norms, which are absorbed by the
Superego (Freud, 1949). He further proposed that the personality develops in a
progressive stage-orientated manner and that fixation and incorrect
development of the internal structures of personality during childhood lead to
mental disorders, as well as negative personality traits. In this essay I will argue
that although the theory played a critically important role in the field of
Psychology as a whole, it has since lost its relevance to modern Psychology,
especially in the 21st century. I begin by evaluating the impact that the theory
had on Psychology in general, and will then consider the criticism and support
that the theory has received regarding modern relevance.
The Psychoanalytical Theory was the first and, as discussed in class, the most
comprehensive Personality Theory. According to Freud (1949) our psyche
constantly strives to ensure survival and achieve maximum drive satisfaction
and minimum guilt (a result of ignoring social rules). This conflict, referred to as
Psychic Determinism, determines our behaviour (Freud, 1949). Before the
Psychoanalytical Theory was proposed, concepts like; Drives, Psychic
Determinism, the structure of personality, levels of consciousness, dream
interpretation and all the different defence mechanisms strategies did not exist.
In this regard these concepts paved the way for a new, and still used, way of
understanding and treating the human mind. Furthermore, the Psychoanalytic
Theory influenced more modern theories (e.g. Erikson, Skinner, Frankl), albeit
theories that were proposed to challenge the ideas behind the Psychoanalytic
Theory. Considering the characteristics of a good personality theory, as
discussed in lecture 1, the theory appears to not only adhere to all of the criteria,
but set the benchmark for all the personality theories that followed. Does this
however guarantee that the theory is timeless and still relevant to modern
Psychology?

Evaluating the modern relevance of such an old, yet fundamental, theory

becomes complicated when considering the fact that the Psychoanalytic Theory
may not have influenced more modern theories directly, but rather indirectly, by
creating the fundamental concepts on which they were built. The theory has
received criticism for a number of reasons. Firstly the theory lacks in empirical
evidence. Psychologist Joel Kupfersmid (1995) investigated the validity of the
Oedipus complex, but concluded that there was little or no evidence to support
the theory. In my opinion the psychoanalytic theory is based too much on Freuds
own case studies and not quantitative research. It has also been challenged as
unscientific (Pinker, 1997) and Hans Eysenck (1985) has gone as far as calling
the theory pseudoscience. Secondly, critics have questioned the validity of the
principles on which the theory is based. Although Freuds proposed inherent
destructive tendencies was acknowledged by both Frankl and Skinner, they
proposed that it is shaped by society (Frankl, 2006)and regarded these
tendencies as operant behaviour influenced by the environment (Skinner,
1938). . Personally I feel Freuds deterministic viewpoint and opinion that no
mistake is ever accidental, but merely the result of internal conflict, hinders the
validity of the theory. Furthermore I feel that Freuds theory lacks in the
understanding of how external factors also influencing behaviour (in contrast to
Skinners Theory), and that he, unlike Frankl, pays no attention to the nogenic
dimension of the human being. The theory also lacks a phenomenological view of
the person, introduced by Carl Rogers, which emphasized how the individuals
subjective experiences influence their self-concept.
This widespread criticism has however led to an increase in psychoanalytic
research. The concept of the unconscious has been validated by modern
research (Western, 2002). Furthermore psychoanalysis is still used in childhood
development research as well as treating certain mental disturbances
(Wallerstein, 1986). A review conducted by INSERM (2004), showed that
psychoanalysis was effective in treating panic disorder, post-traumatic stress and
personality disorders. More recently the ANTOP study (Zipfel, Wild, & Gro, 2014)
proved modified psychodynamic therapy was an effective treatment for anorexia
outpatients.
After weighing up the mountain of criticism with the declining amount of support
for the psychoanalytical theory I have an answer to my original question. I think
the theory could be seen as the single most important contribution to the field of
Psychology, but as a valid modern theory however, it lacks scientific backing. It is
important however, to understand that Psychoanalysis as a treatment could still
have a small place in modern Psychology. The theory however, is in no way as
strong as it once was and although we will always be grateful for Freuds
contribution, it might be time to start concentrating on more relevant and finetuned theories.
799 Words

Reference List
Eysneck, H. (1985). Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire. London: Viking.
Frankl, V. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. An Introduction to Logotherapy.
Boston: Beacon Press.
Freud, S. (1949). An Outline of psychoanalysis. New York: Norton.
Kupfersmid, J. (1995). Does the Oedipus complex exist? American Psychological
Association.
Pinker, S. (1997). How the Mind Works. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Research, F. I. (2004). Psychotherapy: Three approaches evaluated. Paris: French
Institute of Health and Medical Research.
Skinner, B. (1938). The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis. Des
Moines: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Wallerstein, R. (1986). Forty-Two Lives in Treatment: A Study of Psychoanalysis
and Psychotherapy. New York: The Guilford Press.
Western, D. (2002). Implications of developments in cognitive neuroscience for
psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Harvard Review of Psychiatry(10), 369-73.
Zipfel, S., Wild, B., & Gro, G. (2014, 01 11-17). Focal psychodynamic therapy,
cognitive behaviour therapy, and optimised treatment as usual in
outpatients with anorexia nervosa (ANTOP study): randomised controlled
trial. The Lancet, 383(9912), 127-137.