Customer Reviews

Basic Freud: Psychoanalytic Thought for the 21st Century

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For an easy to read basic overview of psychoanalytic thought, I highly recommend Michael Kahn's Basic Freud. Basic Freud describes many theories about the unconscious, psychosexual development, the Oedipus complex, the repetition compulsion, anxiety, defense mechanisms, guilt, dreams, grief, and transference. Mr. Kahn uses simple diction so the book is very easy to understand for those of us who aren't psychoanalysts. Mr. Kahn uses case studies from his own practice to help illustrate the aforementioned theories and how they play out in real life.
By delving into the unconscious Freud discovered so many possibilities for why we are the way we are and why we act in certain ways. This book is so enlightening to read and eye opening to the ideas of Sigmund Freud and his theories on the unconscious.

Having read "Civilization and Its Discontents" in college but not getting a lot from it, I eagerly read Kahn's well-written and engaging book on Freud. He breaks down many of Freud's theories on sexuality, human development and parental relationships using examples from his own therapy practice, as well as notes from Freud himself. For anyone interested in the human psyche, I highly recommend this book.

Freud is one of those authors (like Hegel or Marx) that has had a profound impact on 20th century (and 21st century) life, but that is basically unreadable. It is better to read a book about Freud that to wade into his works (especially if your interest in psychology does not rise to the level of becoming a psychologist). This book by Michael Kahn excellently explains Freud, his works, and his theories without getting bogged down with technical jargon or textbook-style language. Kahn's succinctness and clarity made reading this book a joy. If you want to read one book only about Freud and his theories, this is it!

I have heard it said that there were only 5 truly great minds: Newton, Copernicus, Darwin, Einstein and Freud. All of them, in some way said that we were the victims of invisible forces and circumstances. Newton said we had to succumb to invisible gravity, binding us with mathematical precision. Copernicus told us that we were not, sad to say, the center of the universe. Einstein said that there was no absolute frame of reference, that the passage of information is bound by the speed of light. Darwin said you were another monkey, get used to it. Freud answered in his own way the most important question of all: Why do we do things we do not want to do? In other words what were the forces that determined behavior. What he discovered was the most obscure place of all: the undiscovered and unexplored realm of the unconscious that shapes and commands us all. Modern therapy has tended to minimize his influence and ignore his contribution, but we all owe him great homage for creating the fundamental concept of all modern psychology, that we are victim to internal and largely unconscious forces. Read this wonderful book and learn a new appreciation for perhaps the greatest mind that ever lived.

Frued's approach to sex and psychoanalytic interpretations had a great impact on our culture. If you'd like some lighter Freudian reading, you might try Freud's Revenge. It's a mystery by a modern Freudian psychotherapist. Plenty of Id, Ego, and Superego angst to keep you going at night! --PJ Adams

As a current psychology major, I'm constantly reading textbooks, doing homework, and trying to learn on my own. Since there's so much to read, and trying to balance it all with having a normal college social life, to be able to read a summary of my favorite psychologist sounded too good to be true. I've always been a fan of Freud, but when I was younger I wasn't ready to read Freud's work directly, since I lacked a background to understand his work. But, now that I'm older I don't have enough time to pour through all of his books. So, I stumbled across this book here on amazon and decided it was worth a shot. Michael Kahn summarizes nearly all of Freud's important parts, giving cultural contexts, modern and older examples of each theory, and keeps a fun style of writing throughout the book so you don't lose interest too quickly (as seen in many non-fiction books.) So, for anyone interested in Freud, or psychology in general, this book is worth it easily. It's packed with knowledge and references to many other works, so your mind will keep expanding when this is done. Most importantly though, don't let the small size fool you into thinking each topic won't be properly covered! Sure, it's only a little over 200 pages, but each theory (Oedipus, etc) and problem (Anxiety, etc) are thoroughly covered and definitely cover all aspects. 100% recommended!

Completely ignorant of the field of Psychotherapy, I read Robert Lindner's "Fifty-Minute Hour", and Bruce D. Perry's "The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog." I became intrigued and sought out a good source for more information concerning the history of Psychotherapy. Thus it was that I picked up this book.

Prof. Kahn is in private practice and teaches at the University of California, Santa Cruz (according to the back cover.) If his teaching is anything like his writing, then I hope to one day attend his lectures. Prof. Kahn introduces each topic and then presents concrete examples. He does this in a conversational tone, using anecdotal examples from his own personal life as well as clinical examples. The book is liberally sprinkled with such anecdotes.

Each chapter in the book takes on a specific theory of Freud's: Dreams, Guilt, The Oedipus Complex, etc. I read this book over the course of two weeks during my lunch breaks and in small segments over the weekend. I found the book so enjoyable that I was very reluctant to finish it. It's a pleasure to read.