Scientific assessment of Freud Flashcards
What did Freud argue about dreams?
He argued that dreams were a form of wish fulfillment and distinguished between the Laden dream and the manifest dream.
What is the difference between the Laden dream and the manifest dream?
The Laden dream is the dream as it really is, while the manifest dream is the dream as experienced, remembered, and talked about.
How did Freud contribute to dream interpretation?
He systematized dream interpretation and adopted a more scientific perspective on it.
What did Freud argue about myths and literature?
He argued that myths and fairy tales expressed aspects of the unconscious and captured universal themes.
What is Freud’s theory on the origin of religion?
He linked it to the desire for a father figure and broader aspects of humanity.
What is one way to reject a theory according to the text?
A theory could be rejected if it contains mistaken claims or is wrong.
What is another problem with a theory besides being wrong?
A theory could be too vague to test or just storytelling.
Who discussed the idea of falsifiability?
Philosopher Karl Popper.
What distinguishes science from non-science according to Karl Popper?
Scientific predictions make strong claims about the world and run the risk of being proven false.
What is an example of a falsifiable scientific claim?
Damage to the hippocampus causes failures of implicit memory but not explicit memory.
What is the problem with vague claims like horoscopes?
They are so vague they can’t be proven wrong.
What is one main accusation against Freudian theory?
It is unfalsifiable and based a lot on anecdotes and descriptions of clinical events.
What is an example of the unfalsifiability of Freudian theory?
If a patient agrees or disagrees with a claim, the therapist can interpret both as evidence supporting the theory.
What happens if a theory cannot be proven wrong?
It is not considered science and is not very interesting.
What have some Freudian scholars attempted to do?
They have tried to turn Freud’s ideas into empirical, falsifiable claims.
