The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy and Culture [Hardcover]

Edward Erwin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415936772 | ISBN-13: 978-0415936774 | Publication Date: December 21, 2001 | Edition: 1

The first in-depth Encyclopedia on the life, work, and theories of Sigmund Freud, this A-Z reference includes the most recent debates on such topics as the theory of dreams and the Oedipus complex, as well as biographical sketches of leading figures in the Freudian movement. Coverage also includes philosophers who anticipated or influenced Freud, such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, and the many movements influenced by his work, from the early twentieth-century Surrealists to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

For this far-reaching reference, nine years in the making, Erwin (philosophy, Miami Univ.) assembled some 200 contributors to produce about 250 articles on Sigmund Freud's ideas, life, and influence. He seeks a balance between advocates and critics, justifying the effort by citing Freud's singular impact on the 20th century. Contributors include many well-known writers in the field but tip toward acolytes, and missing among the critics are some of the sharpest, e.g., Frederick Crews, Alan Stone, and Peter Swales. Inexplicably, Charles Socarides was chosen to write the essay on homosexuality, which he regards as a treatable "perversion." He omits alternative views, as well as the American Psychiatric Association's having removed homosexuality from its list of pathological conditions and Freud's belief that homosexuals could be qualified psychoanalysts. Other, more enlightened articles point out that Freud was wrong to call masturbation unhealthy and to disparage clitoral orgasm. Biographical articles go beyond Freud's intimates and major dissidents to include the likes of Lou Andreas-Salome and Harry Stack Sullivan. The psychoanalytic movement in general, its presence in countries ranging from Peru to China, its overall influence on the humanities, its antecedents (from Arthur Schopenhauer to lesser-known forebears like Franz Brentano), and its evolution are generally well covered. Many of the entries, e.g., Mark Poster's "Georg Groddeck" and Allan Compton's "Structural Theory," reward browsing. Nevertheless, there are some real problems with coverage and ease of use. The treatment of topics can be arbitrary; for instance, "suggestion" has an article but not hypnosis, which must be found via several index mentions. Most articles have references, but there is no standard, so some have too many and others too few. The same Freud citations are seen repeatedly, but, surprisingly, there is no complete Freud bibliography. Furthermore, the index and some arbitrary cross references could be improved. To find David Rapaport, we get See Ego Psychology, but why not also "Metapsychology," where he is also featured? Similarly, for Heinz Kohut, See Narcissism is fine, but the article "Self Psychology," his forte, is not linked to his name. It is a shame to find so much good work compromised by a few bad choices. Socarides holding forth on homosexuality in the 21st century is like Carl Jung touting Aryan over Jewish psychology in the Nazi era. Librarians should wait for an improved edition of this volume, making sure, meanwhile, that they have Paul Roazen's Freud and His Followers (LJ 9/15/74), Louis Breger's Freud (LJ 9/1/00), and Malcolm Macmillan's Freud Evaluated (MIT, 1996). E. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, DC
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Articles cover a fascinating array of topics.. The unique feature...is the combination of both historical focus and the inclusion of a modern interpretation.... Criticism is intelligent and balanced.... It is an excellent resource for psychology majors, students of philosophy, graduate students, or researchers.
–American Reference Books Annual, 2003

A thorough and comprehensive encyclopedia on the life and work of Sigmund Freud....Essential for large public or academic libraries, all levels.
–Choice, May 2002

Interesting and informative for readers of various backgrounds; useful to quickly review key concepts... Strong on the international development of psychoanalysis and the pre-Freudian history of ideas.
–Journal of the Psychoanalytical Association, Fall 2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415936772
• ISBN-13: 978-0415936774
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,692,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Freud & Freudianism, June 2, 2002

By 

Scott Hoogerhyde (Mendham NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy and Culture (Hardcover)

Erwin's Freud Encyclopedia is a curious mixture of very scholarly articles clearly aimed to impress other scholars and/or to make a major contribution to Freud scholarship and many articles designed to introduce educated laymen to the work of Sigmund Freud. Happily, the latter is the dominant portion. Of some 240 articles I found at least a dozen nearly impenetrable, either because of the technical demands or abominable style. Another two dozen were difficult but not of any general interest. That leaves roughly 200 articles that were interesting and readable - not a bad percentage.

When I turned to write my review of the encyclopedia, my eye caught a previous review which expressed unhappiness with the encyclopedia solely on the basis of a single article. This is astonishing when one considers not a single encyclopedia ever has been or ever will be written that doesn't contain a very bad article. The problem is that in this case the wrong article was selected for condemnation.

The article in question is by Charles Socarides, a psychiatrist well known for his anti-homosexual outlook. In the case in question, however, Socarides confines himself to Freud's views about homosexuality and does not express his own. Thus, maintaining, as the author does, that Socarides is the wrong man for the job is a plain mistake. The article is actually one of the best in the encyclopedia and it lays out in clear but elegant language what Freud thinks. Unlike his predecessor, Krafft-Ebing, Freud did not think homosexuality a dark perversion but provided a sympathetic portrayal of it. Moreover, even if Freud did have by contemporary standards, a preposterous understanding of homosexuality, it would be important to know what he thought. In fact, he had no preposterous ideas.

The encylopedia is not redundant. There are other psychoanalytic encyclopedias that deal with the standard topics but they do not limit themselves to Freud's views about these matters. Accordingly, they do not cover Freud on these matters to the same degree of depth. Here we do not merely have articles on repression, catharsis, infantile sexuality but Freud on each of these issues. Consequently, the articles are less surveyish in character. Thousands of articles have been written on, say, infantile sexuality, including the Freudian view of it but inevitably something is lost - namely, how Freud himself elaborated the topic.

The work is obviously the product of almost a decade of work if for no other reason than that it contains so many superstars as contributors. There is always a bit of the prima donna in such persons and one can just imagine the delicate negotiations the editor must have exhaustively carried on. I would recommend this book for every psychoanalyst, of course. That goes almost without saying. Also there is much here for general psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, whether Freudian, "eclectic" or what-have-you. Clinical social workers may also have good use for the book but the price is steep. Still, pricewise, it beats long term subscriptions to 90% of the journals.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Encyclopedia of Freud & Freudianism, May 28, 2002

By 

Ellen Lodge (Los Osos, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy and Culture (Hardcover)

As a licensed clinical social worker and teacher, I have studied Freud and experienced his influence in many fields of study including psychology, education, anthropology and sociology. This is by far the best psychoanalytic encyclopedia I have ever consulted, suitable for all professionals and interested laymen.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comments on a Mistaken Review, April 7, 2002

By 

Edward Erwin "Ed from Miami" (Miami FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy and Culture (Hardcover)

Whether Sigmund Freud was mainly right or mainly wrong, his ideas have had an astonishing range of influence in anthropology, psychology, psychiatry, history, philosophy, art, cinema, and literature. The recently published "Freud Encyclopedia: Theory, Therapy, and Culture" represents the best of recent Freud scholarship. It contains approximately 240 entries written by past presidents of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Philosophical Association, and the Psychoanalytic Division of the American Psychological Association, and by leading Freud scholars from around the world...

The encyclopedia contains an entry on Freud's theory of homosexuality but none on homosexuality per se; the criticized essay explains Freud's views but does not claim that homosexuality is a treatable perversion. That claim appears nowhere in the encyclopedia...

Edward Erwin, Editor, "The Freud Encyclopedia"