Freud on a Precipice: How Freud's Fate Pushed Psychoanalysis Over the Edge

by Robert Langs

Overview

Freud on a Precipice is an exploration of eight likely early-life traumas experienced by Sigmund Freud and an effort to show how their unconscious processing adversely affected the psychoanalytic theory he forged beginning in the late 1890's. Using a new method to decode key narratives in Freud's opus, Langs makes a compelling argument for the probability that Freud was never sure of the identity of his biological father. The book also offers a fresh study of paradigms, paradigm shifts, and archetypes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765706003
Publisher:	Aronson, Jason Inc.
Publication date:	10/26/2009
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Robert Langs, M.D. is the author of forty-seven books written on the basis of his innovative approach to the human mind and to psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and the human condition. His focus on the unconscious experience of and adaptations to reality and its death-related traumas places him in a unique position to to retell the interrelated stories of Freud's early-life traumas and the psychoanalysis he created with a freshness that brings new insights and wisdom to both biographical investigations and the broad field of dynamic psychology.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Is Freud to be Trusted? Chapter 2. Paradigms and Archetypes Chapter 3. A Tale of Two Paradigms Chapter 4. The Descendants of Freud's Two Paradigms Chapter 5. Freud in Conflict Chapter 6. Psychoanalytic Detective Work Chapter 7. Freud's Early Traumas Chapter 8. The Ultimate Trauma

Editorial Reviews

The latest thought-provoking book from the pen of Robert Langs, MD, prolific and provocative psychoanalytic author and thinker, shows us not only how Freud pushed psychoanalysis over the edge but how during a serious crisis in his life Freud stood at the edge of a precipice from which he could have easily jumped to his death. Langs gives us a brilliant analysis of how Freud’s life shaped his revolutionary theories about trauma, seduction, and the Oedipus complex.

Zvi Lothane M.D.

Robert Langs honors the father of psychoanalysis, by applying Freud's original, trauma and reality based theory, to Freud's life and writings. He uncovers the unconscious forces which drove Freud's decision to abandon this first theory in favor of one based on inner needs and fantasies-a tragic but survival based decision. He points out the effects as well, which have been passed down through generations of analysts. Analysts today can make a different decision. Langs adds the Adaptive Approach, based onand extending Freud's original theory to our range of choices. This book is a departure for Langs in tone and style. The voice is graceful and the tone is sombre. It has the pace of an intriguing and meticulous detective story with a complex arc, leading to a crescendo at the finish. The author also takes an unprecedented step by inviting the reader to accompany him on a journey of discovery, rather than attempting to penetrate the reader with an irrefutable truth. Langs beckons and is curious, along the way, asking readers to listen with their unconscious minds, and then look at and perhaps share their responses with him. This is a unique, startling, and indispensable book about Freud, psychoanalysis, and the hidden truths of human life.

Cate Nelson