An Outline of Psycho-Analysis. (International Psycho-Analytical Library) Paperback – October 15, 2010

Freud's last book and a lucid and concise summary of his "science".That's "science" because there's nothing scientific about Freud's theories, unless you accept his view that their truth has been demonstrated pragmatically by psychoanalyists.Take "penis envy". The female infant notices that she doesn't have a penis, and what follows from this is ... well, if you've read Freud, you know; if you don't, read this book to find out.I'm not dismissing Freud. I think he was a great man with a prodigious intellect, a cogent style (at least it reads well in English), a humanist of the first water, because while believing human life was tragic, he clearly wanted to relieve others of the unnecessary suffering of neuroses.He would be one of the most important thinkers of all time, even if most of the specifics of his theories were wrong (as I think they are), because he was concerned with the most important issues of life. In that respect, he joins hands with Plato (another mistaken genius), Hegel (ditto), Marx (double ditto), Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and ... dare I say it ... Jesus, whose illusions Freud attempted to puncture.Worth reading as an introduction to Freud, and a fascinating example of the clarity of his thought and style, even if he was wrong in every specific, if not in his general outlook.

At eighty-two, Freud's writing was as vivid as ever. In this three-part book, he summarizes the ideas he had been writing about for over 38 years. Instead of his usual writing style of proposing ideas and defending them with clinical data, literature review, social events, etc., he just summarizes them into their most basic components. The shift to a description without justification style turns it into a breath of fresh air. The advantage of this change is that one can see the finalized ideas presented by Freud, especially considering he usually goes back and forth with them. The negative side is that if you are familiar with the majority of the work, it tends to seem repetitive. Also, he did not finish this book, which means that once the book gets interesting, he stops in the middle of the.... . . . .

No. A lot of his ideas inform our thoughts about the nature of the mind. This book is a bit thin on substance and full of technical Freudian talk. Too bad HE never finished it. Is my anit-cathexis showing?

Freud, surprisingly, does a fine job in explicating the basic ideas behind Psychoanalysis. Unlike other texts which can use pretty complicated and verbose language, Freud (and the editors) used clear and easy to read syntax. I recommend this book for any looking to get a basic understanding of Psychoanalysis or to further enhance an undergraduate or graduate class.

As the title suggests, this book lays the foundation for psycho-analysis. If you have an interest in psychology or philosophy, you need to read this book. It's a classic.

This book is a great book to read. It analyzes many different aspects of psychic apparatus. It is enhancing and refreshing. As usual Freud touches on dreams and religions to make sense of the world around us through our psychic apparatus.

An absolute must for any student of Freud. I only wished earlier about this book. This book is recommended as a first reader for anyone just beginning to study Freud, but is also still essential reading for any avid Freud enthusiast.

Actually not the Freud book I thought it was.

Fantastic starting place to his work. Despite being touted by some as requiring prior knowledge, anyone with a layman's understanding of the concepts of consciousness/subconsciousness will find it an easy read.

Just what I wanted