As you read in Chapter 13, in his seduction theory of neurosis, Freud initially suggested that all neurotic behavior resulted from childhood sexual abuse. Under pressure from his colleagues, he later recanted this position. However, some psychoanalysts (Sandor Ferenczi, 1930; Jeffrey Masson, 1984) have questioned Freud’s reversal, suggesting that it set back our understanding of the effects of childhood sexual abuse by a 100 years. What do you think?
Before answering this question, you should compare Freud’s initial seduction theory to his later theory of infantile sexuality. In the latter theory, he suggested that personality is formed as we move through several psychosexual stages in infancy and early childhood. See this week’s handout on the Oedipus and Electra complexes, crises points that boys and girls experience during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. In comparing the two theories, the point is to catch the shift away from an emphasis on the effects of child sexual abuse and toward the role of childhood sexual desire in personality development.
Remember that the word count for your response should be 200.