The purpose of this paper is to analyze Sigmund Freud's discussions of psychological and psycho-analytic method and theory to discover whether Freud's constant reversion to sexually-based conclusions can be supported by his own arguments. For example, in his construction and interpretation of the dream of a neurotic in The Case of the Wolf-Man, Freud reads the dream of a young man. Basically, the young man recounts to Freud during his treatment a dream he remembers from childhood in which, while lying in bed, he observes six or seven white wolves sitting on a tree in front of his window. From this dream and through other theories he espoused throughout his psycho-analytic career, Freud argued that the dream was in fact caused by the young man's repression of seeing his parents engaged in sexual intercourse. To the lay person, such an interpretation of the dream seems rather far-fetched. For what, after all, do white wolves have to do with parental sexual intercourse? However, Freud's entire psycho-analytic theory appears to be based on several theories of sexual repression, and the question posed by this paper is whether, under close scrutiny, such theories appear persuasive and conclusory.
People living in the time following World War I were concerned with issues of self-identification and continuity. Specifically, they were attempting to relate their personal histories and the history of their society to the new world forming around them. In addition, the Victorian Period, which immediately preceded this era, was characterized by sexually repressive societal practices that were undergoing development and change in the modern period. Freud played a significant role during this time in the ways these issues were articulated and resolved. In particular, his psychological and psycho-analytic theories allowed people a means of forming bridges of continuity between the past and the modern period. However, his theories may h...