Kalampedia

Here’s How To Read Sigmund Freud

In this post, we tell you how you should go about reading Sigmund Freud’s works.

Deepak Rana
2–3 minutes
, ,

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.

His life was dedicated to understand the hidden relationship between our personalities and the unconscious mind. The question is, how did he do it?

The video below will explain Freud’s approach to psychotherapy.

On reading Sigmund Freud’s books

Let’s be honest. We want to read Sigmund Freud’s books, but unfortunately, they are numerous, and therefore, it can be a real task to identify which books should one go for, or… how to even start?

Most people fall into this common trap of beginning with the most popular work of an author (which, in this case is, The Interpretation of Dreams) and often fail to grasp the full value of that author’s works. How should you approach Freud, then? Here’s how:

1. The Psychopathology of Everyday Life

You can start with The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, which was published in 1904, five years after The Interpretation of Dreams. The main purpose of reading this book first is that it consists of familiar, day-to-day situations and are explained accordingly. Thus, it becomes much easier for a new reader to enter Freudian Psychology.

2. Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis

Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis can be read after that as it contains methodical exposition of Freud’s theories. These lectures were published in 1915-17 and Freud himself ensured that are well understood by the common public.

3. The Interpretation of Dreams

Now would be a good time to read The Interpretation of Dreams. You can also read its abridged version, which is titled On Dreams. In this book, Freud introduces his theory of the unconscious with respect to dream interpretation, and discusses what would later become the theory of the Oedipus Complex. But, what is Oedipus Complex? Let’s see:

Bonus Tips

  1. The Interpretation of Dreams is undoubtedly Freud’s major work, but if you find this world fascinating, you should not stop there. You can then read two of his crucial works Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego and The Ego and the Id, which were published in 1921 and 1923 respectively.
  2. Wait, it’s not over yet. There is a whole treasury of Freud’s theories and you will need a lot of time to read it all. But, now that you are quite familiar with Freud’s theories, you can pick up any book based on your interest and enjoy it.

Enjoy your reading!

Reference books

If you are interested in reading Carl Jung’s books, check out this article 👉🏼 How to Read Carl Jung