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Freud's “project”: A theory for Studies on Hysteria
Author(s) -
Knight Isabel F.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6696(198410)20:4<340::aid-jhbs2300200404>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - hysteria , criticism , psychoanalysis , epistemology , psychology , philosophy , literature , art
Abstract The controversy about the place of Sigmund Freud's unfinished draft of 1895, “Project for a Scientific Psychology,” in the history of his thought, is addressed. It is argued that the “Project” may be understood as a suppressed response to the theory of hysteria presented by Josef Breuer in his and Freud's joint work, Studies on Hysteria. It is suggested that the “Project” may be read, in part, as a substitute for Breuer's theory. The timing and circumstances of the “Project's” composition are discussed. Its substantive and formal congruence with Studies on Hysteria is brought out. Freud's comments on scientific hypotheses are discussed, and it is shown that they constitute an implicit criticism of Breuer's theory.