It was over a century ago that Sigmund Freud published his theory. How has his work stood the test of time? How is psychoanalytic theory regarded by psychologists and other scholars of the twenty-first century?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: A good answer will include the following key points.
• Both then and now, some people revered Freud as a hero and others viewed him as completely wrong.
• His theories are either viewed as brilliant or nonsense.
• Most psychologists today view psychodynamic ideas as literary metaphors rather than as scientific rationales.
• Psychological scientists have shown that psychodynamic theories are guilty of three scientific failings: they cannot be falsified, they overgeneralize from atypical patients, and they are frequently based on retrospective accounts.
• Although some empirical research supports a few psychodynamic processes such as defense mechanisms, much empirical data refutes concepts like repression.
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