Seductive Mirage: An Exploration of the Work of Sigmund Freud [Paperback]

Allen Esterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1998

Although it is now widely held that the scientific basis for Sigmund Freud's theories is decidedly wobby, and his surmises often appear woefully incomplete at best, there yet remains an impression that Freud was a bold explorer of the mind's hidden depths, a penetrating if fallible discerner of unsuspected motives behind the superficially innocent forms of behavior. And if even that is now more frequently questioned, we are at least left with the consolation that Freud, however misguided, was a man of unsported integrity, who sincerely strove to uncover the truth and accurately reported what his clients told him.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Open Court; First Printing edition (December 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812692314
• ISBN-13: 978-0812692310
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,274,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penetrating Analysis, February 16, 2006

By 

Dr. Michael R. Edelstein (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seductive Mirage: An Exploration of the Work of Sigmund Freud (Paperback)

Sigmund Freud was a man of integrity. His theories were scientifically arrived at, based on a large sample. He dispassionately observed his patients, reporting in his books and articles their deepest fears and hopes. He significantly helped many of them overcome their psychological problems.

All of the above statements would likely be endorsed by most thoughtful individuals having a cursory acquaintance with Freud's profound impact on 20th-century thought. Unless they have read Seductive Mirage.

In an engrossing, meticulous, penetrating analysis, Allen Esterson convincingly puts the lie to each of the above statements. He leaves no shadow of doubt that Freud was a charlatan and was a genius at it.

After briefly being enamored with Freud in college, over the years I have come to be quite skeptical of the veracity of psychoanalysis. However, reading Esterson's scholarly tome has led me to appreciate the breadth and depth to which Freudianism is a fraud perpetrated on Western civilization.

Reading Seductive Mirage was a wonderful education, one which I highly recommend to anyone with the slightest curiosity about the intellectual forces shaping our world.