Last night I dreamt that I was teaching a general (intro) psychology class online. I was teaching Freudian theory, but I realized that I needed to do a better job of understanding it myself… Some thought that I needed to be in therapy. I felt insecure, and rather imposed upon by others.
[Creative commons photo credit at flikr: Freud with patient & Female nude (Picasso)]
This is definitely related to the fact that I’m currently debating as to whether or not to include Freud’s famous case study of “
Dora” as required reading for a class I’ll be teaching in a couple months. It is still used in professional training to illustrate the phenomenon of “transference” (which is generally accepted as a legitimate effect by the modern psychiatric community). Generally, I think it would be a great opportunity to a) expose students to the *raw data* of Freudian thought, and b) give them some great grist for comparing and contrasting with other approaches to psychology (e.g., How would a behaviorist understand Dora’s problems?). The study also has the advantage of being a great piece of writing…On the other hand,
feminist circles have good reason to point to the study of Dora as an example of misogyny at work: Freud was quite insensitive (at least by today’s psychiatric standards) towards Dora’s problems regarding the sexual advances of her father’s friend, the nature of
eroticism, and other related issues. On the other hand, I have a great deal of respect for the originality and revolutionary nature of
Freudian thought (and he actually did do much to promote the advancement of women in the psychiatric profession), but I fear that the intricacies of the analysis may be lost on beginners: Lacking knowledge of the
history of psychology (current treatments at the time included electroshock therapy), more simplistic perspectives of the work might do little more than generate anti-Freudian emotional reactions.
October 14th, 2007 by Brian
Posted in Dora, Freud, Teaching, Computers, Dreams |
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October 14th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I think it is important to look at the people you will be teaching - college freshman.
Chances are that they have not been made aware of what misogyny really is and probably do not have a clue about feminism. As you well know, women’s issues are not exactly paramount in Hawaii. Most women in Hawaii would seem to identify with being Hawaiian or local over being a woman as where I would identify with being a woman and many other things over being Caucasian.
I think a larger issue is to think about whether or not these students will take Freud’s work out of context. Will they judge Freud by today’s standards or look at the value of his work by the standards of his day?
It would seem to be a good way to start them on a path of critical thinking and even discussion for students that have probably not been exposed to Freud before…
Also, have you thought of finding out anything about Hawaiian psychology? I have no idea if it even exists but it seems like a topic that would be interesting to integrate into a topic that is almost entirely western.
Just my two cents…
October 14th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Many approaches exist to dream theory and analysis. I encourage people to explore different ideas and adopt what seems most natural and appropriate. You would benefit from clarifying what you mean by “Hawaiian Psychology.” Are you thinking about a Hawaiian-American theorist? Polynesian cultures also have different views on dreams.
October 14th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
To clarify, Hawaiian Psychology is the psychology of the Native Hawaiians. It is known by a couple of names: Ho‘oponopono (the system of resolving conflicts and learning to move on) and ‘Ke Ola’ (mental health).
Ho’oponopono is actually used here in Hawaii on occasion to settle legal disputes and I am sure it is used often in family troubles. For the sake of brevity: a mediator is chosen that is respected by both parties and they identify the problem. The problem is then discussed with both sides being heard (with time outs being given when it gets very intense). Both sides then confess what wrongs they have committed against the other side. Everyone forgives and both parties mutually agree to end the problem.
The foundation of Hawaiian Psychology seems to be built on the idea that connection to one’s culture is of great importance and they seemed to see mental illness as some form of disconnection from one’s culture.
I think that Hawaiian Psychology has some parallels with modern psychology - importance of social systems, mind-body connection and the integration of work and family.
A book to look at on this topic is:
Ka Lama Kukui-Hawaiian Psychology: An Introduction
By William C. Rezentes III, Ph.D.
October 15th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Hmmm… I’m always interested in different cultures’ perspectives on the human mind and social behavior. I’m actually familiar with Ho’oponopono, but I’ve never seen Dr. Rezentes’ book before; I’ll definitely have to check it out at some point. That being said, if the main idea is that mental illness is just a disconnect from the social world, I wonder how similar traditional Hawaiian views of mental illness are to those of Thomas Szasz…
October 19th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Is Thomas Szasz the person who says that mental illness does not really exist - basically attributing it to differences in perception?
If so, I don’t think Hawaiian psychology is like that at all. Serious mental illness is handled as a disease but things like depression and other disorders tend to be attributed to being disconnected with the culture (family, self, environment, etc).