Most psychologists don’t care about Freud’s work outside of a historical sense and kinda hate him as a person. His work was quite literally used as an example of pseudoscience by Karl Popper.

And yet for some reason philosophers have an obsession with integrating his views into their work and artists keep using his views as inspiration and analyze existing works via the lens of psychoanalysis.

Why?

  • Katrisia@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    Most psychologists […].

    And yet for some reason philosophers […] and artists […].

    Why are you careful/nuanced with psychologists but dump philosophers and artists in the same bag as if they all do the same?

    I see this a lot. The other day, I was watching a science video. Same thing: “some physicists believe…”, “other physicists…”, but “philosophers say…”.

    Do you think philosophy and art (disciplines that by their very nature are diverse and creative) create only one type of people? I mean, Karl Popper is a philosopher against Freud, you just said it. You could find many philosophers opposed to Freud, indifferent, critical, in agreement, etc. Artists are the same, very different people among them.

    Now, the real question should be why is Freud popular amongst some artists and philosophers and other non-psychologists, especially in certain regions like France and Argentina, or certain traditions like old continental philosophy. And that’s probably the beginning of an answer at the same time: a strong tradition of psychoanalysis within certain circles. Also, a matter of coherence or lack of. For example, if you start reading French existentialism and keep reframing certain aspects of reality, you may find yourself inclined to epistemological paradigms that do not oppose psychoanalytical theories, so you could combine them if you want to. If you start denying materialism in some ways, you may end up denying biological explanations of psychopathological phenomena, so Freud could be a good substitute (or not, depending on the person).

    I guess if I were to give a psychological reductionist answer, Freud and similar authors appeal to part of the population that is skeptical of conventional models, the status quo, scientism, hard materialism, etc.

    • rambling_lunatic@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      6 months ago

      I am indeed aware that philosophers are not a monolith. They are, however, way more likely to like Freud.

      There are counter-trends, but there is a lot of Freudian shenanigans about. The fact that they are a major force bothers and intrigues me.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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      6 months ago

      Modern psychology doesn’t necessarily support a subconscious, either. At best some individual practitioners like the concept.

      Freud’s big contribution was therapy, or a “talking cure” as he called it. The rest was cocaine-fueled nonsense

      • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        That is bullshit. Everyone with a pulse knows the brain processes information unconsciously. It’s the basis for most of cognitive psychology, in fact.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          6 months ago

          Unconsciously, sure. Like, it turns three colour channels into a rainbow plus shades. Subconsciously, no, there’s no (measured) suppressed self that wants to fuck mom or whatever.

          • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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            6 months ago

            Of course there is. For example there’s the study where they brushed chairs with testosterone.

            The response to that chemical being present demonstrates goal-driven personality operating below the level of consciousness.

            Uncovering unconscious motivations is like 95% of therapy. Everything that isn’t yet articulated is the subconscious.

  • hitmyspot@aussie.zone
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    6 months ago

    Probably because his ideas is what made popular psychology known to the world. His ideas have largely been debunked but there are nuggets that have been developed and become something different, rather than abandoned.

    His ideas about ego, id superego etc are more commonly understood than the current psychiatric terms.

    So, just like we call it pop culture, pop psychology is well known and he’s the head.

    • rambling_lunatic@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      6 months ago

      I get that for the artists, but what about the philosophers? Are they not big dick academics who will lose their standing if their ideas are nonesense?

  • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Honestly I think it’s as simple as his notariety.
    He is one of the most well-known psychologists and is a bit of a pop culture icon.
    It’s like how you see most non-physicists talk about Einstein more than they do Feynman or Higgs.

  • TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Because his ‘theories’ are easy to understand for the layperson, and have become tropes in our narrative culture. Most people’s understanding of freud is simple ‘blame your parents for your problems.’

    You do see a lot of Jung as well, but Jung’s work is more abstract and out there and is often used symbolically, whereas Frued’s is used literally and in sitcoms.