‘Freud-A Very Short Introduction’ by Anthony Storr

‘Freud-A Very Short Introduction’ by Anthony Storr

The book ‘Freud: A very short introduction’ by Anthony Storr gives an excellent introduction to the work of Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalysis, and his work developed a new way of looking at human nature. The book assesses the legacy of Sigmund Freud and compares it to current thought. Anthony Storr gives a detailed and objective look at the major theories of Sigmund Freud and evaluates whether they have withstood the test of time. Furthermore, Storr analyses Freud himself, his early life, and tries to examine how he came up with those ideas.

Viewpoint and purpose of the Author

The view of Anthony Storr includes appealing to all people who are interested in the broad spectrum of psychoanalysis, psychology, and sociology. The fields related to human behavior are wide and vast. But, there is no better place to start than understanding the works of the person who developed a new way of analyzing human nature. Storr considers the newcomers by excitingly presenting the ideas and theories.

Storr includes the early life of Sigmund Freud. The detailed account of his early life helps the reader understand the psychology of Sigmund himself. Besides, apart from his early life, Storr includes bits and parts of the life of the adulthood of Sigmund. The reader gets not only a detailed analysis of the theories of Sigmund but also accounts of his personal life.

The purpose of Anthony Storr is to appeal to all beginners interested in psychoanalysis, psychology, or sociology. The book is crafted simply by avoiding the use of psychoanalysis professional terms. The use of simple language appeals to newcomers, who are sometimes discouraged from reading books due to the use of sophisticated terms. Furthermore, the pocket-sized book makes it easier for a reader to carry around and learned about Sigmund Freud and his theories as well as his personal life.

Academic background of the author

Anthony Storr was a renowned British psychiatrist, psychoanalyst as well as author. Storr is most known for making psychiatrist concepts known and accessible to the public through writing many books using layman language. Also, Storr was a prominent public figure because he made appearances in television and radio programmes in an attempt to explain psychiatrist concepts to the public.

Anthony Storr studied at Christ’s College Cambridge where he trained in the tradition of Carl Jung. Storr was liberal and open-minded in his practice as a clinician and as a lecturer at the University of Oxford.

Apart from Freud: A very short Introduction, other famous titles by Storr include The Essential Jung: Selected Writings, Solitude (Flamingo), Feet of Clay: Study of Gurus, Music, and the Mind, among many others.

School thought out of which the book rises

The book rises from the psychoanalytic school of thought. The school was founded by Sigmund Freud where he emphasized the influence of the unconscious mind on human behavior.

Achievement of the purpose of the book

The book achieves its goal efficiently. The purpose of this book is to present and analyze the theories of Sigmund Freud in a laic manner. The book uses simple and clear illustrations that can be understood by people who do not specialize in psychoanalysis. As such, the book achieves its intended purpose.

The main arguments of the book

The leading argument of the book is why the work of Freud Sigmund is essential and popular. Furthermore, the book compares the earlier works of Freud to modern works of psychoanalysis. The book provides a detailed account of the personal life of Sigmund. The author connects the personal experience of Sigmund from an early stage to his theories and ideas. To make the book easy to understand, Storr uses letters that were written by Sigmund. The notes not only make the work believable but also create an authentic touch.

Evidence used in the book

Storr uses letters written by Sigmund as evidence. The letters were mainly written to Fliess with whom they exchanged a series of letters. In the letters, Sigmund narrated his experiences to Fliess and Fliess wrote back in response to the experiences. The letters give an insight into the personal life of Sigmund and how he dealt with life challenges. In one of the letters, he wrote to Martha Bernays, his fiancé who later became his wife, expressing his feelings towards her (pg 4). Therefore, the letters give an authentic touch to the book.

Storr uses the work reports of Sigmund as evidence. Sigmund gave detailed reports on any reports he worked on, and they provided his insight. One of the stories is when Sigmund gave treatment to Dora, Ratman and Wolfman (Chapter 10). Sigmund kept reports on all therapy sessions he had with the three. For instance, Storr uses the reports of Dora was treated for 11 weeks and the Wolfman who was treated for 11 months (pg 123). The reports helped him analyze their psychology and seek treatment for their conditions. Storr uses some sections of the stories as evidence which makes his book believable.

Is the book well-written?

‘Freud: A very short introduction’ is a well-written book. The book uses non-professional terms which make it easy for beginners to understand psychoanalysis. The book maintains a logical flow from the early childhood life of Sigmund, his studies, his career, his marriage, and all his famous works. Towards the end of the book, Storr compares modern psychoanalysis to the theories of Sigmund and analyses how the arguments have stood the test of time.

Figures and illustrations in the book

Storr uses a total of 16 pictures as illustrations for the book. The pictures are not only used as illustrations but also break the monotony in the book. The table of contents gives the user a list of the book contents and the exact pages where each topic starts. Also, the book has an index at the end. The index helps the reader locate relevant information on the page by providing the exact page number.

The book as a contribution of knowledge

The book contributes to the understanding of psychoanalysis uniquely because of the use of amateur terms. The book educates the greater public that does not understand psychoanalysis terms by simplifying complex theories.

Conclusion

‘Freud: A very short introduction’ is an excellent book for any newcomers who intend to learn psychoanalysis. The book uses layman language and simple illustrations to discuss the theories and works of Sigmund. The pictures break the monotony of typed text as well as give examples of the personal life of Sigmund. Storr does an outstanding job of educating the general public about psychoanalysis as founded by Freud Sigmund. The book is an excellent read for people who do not understand the psychoanalysis profession. The arrangement of the book makes it easy to navigate through the contents, and the index points out the essential facts. The book is not only appealing but also a great read

References

Storr, A. (2001). Freud: A very short introduction. OUP Oxford.