Create a 6 page essay paper that discusses Psychoanalysis.Therefore in broad terms, Lacanian feminist thought is anti-realist, in that it tends to present language and culture as shaping how 'reality'

Create a 6 page essay paper that discusses Psychoanalysis.

Therefore in broad terms, Lacanian feminist thought is anti-realist, in that it tends to present language and culture as shaping how 'reality' is experienced, whereas realists tend to perceive 'the real' as shaping culture. According to Lacan, 'civilization' itself is the 'Law f the Father'. (Beasley, C (1999).

Whether you believe in his theories or not, most people would agree that Sigmund Freud is one f the greatest thinkers f modern time. His development f psychoanalysis and the contributions he has made to the study f mental illness is immense. Although he completed most f his work in the early years f last century, he is still hugely influential to this day. Despite this success, or perhaps due to it, Freud's ideas have always been very controversial. His postulations on human psychological growth resulted in his theory f psychosexual development (S, Freud (1977). His ideas were particularly contentious at the initial time f release, and frequently are considered so, to this very day.

The primary reason for any initial negative reaction was due to the often-strong sexual content f his work. Freud suggested that powerful incestuous sexual desires exist in all f us, including infants. (Gay, P ed. (1995). His opinions raised a few eyebrows in Victorian Europe, not to mention the feminist perspective to this day. Freud's work has been criticised immensely by feminists, on the manner in which he inaccurately differentiates between the psychological growth and maturity f males, and that f females. Many people have argued that this was very much due to the era in which Freud had operated, with the medical field in which he worked at this time being largely a male only society. Thoughts from within this profession were apparently often very negative towards women. Whatever the reason, psychoanalysis and the theories developed from it, have always been considered extremely patriarchal and phallocentric. (Sayers, J. (1991).

Many feminist's believe that the writings from most, if not all f the founding fathers from science and literature, including sometimes 'Marxist', was too male-cantered, containing andocentric male writings which held patriarchal values. According to Freud who has been argued by some feminists to be a biological determinist, claimed that it is our biology that shapes our identities, he claims 'Anatomy is destiny' (Gay, P ed. (1995). Not surprising that feminists accuse Freud f being misogynistic and male - cantered. However, modern supporters f psychoanalysis have denied that this is not so, female figures such as. Helene Deutsch, Karen Horney, Anna Freud and Melanie Klein are usually mentioned. (Sayers, J. (1991). Their significance within the society f psychoanalysis is meant to somehow convince us, that the doctrines f the group as a whole are not at all sexist.

However, the involvement f women in the development f psychoanalysis as a theory and a therapy can be seen as a sort-f paradox in light f the various charges f misogyny against Freud. A brief historical look at four f the early female psychoanalytic scholars, and their areas f