INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

[II]

An all-pervading feeling of profound re-
sponsibility to society in general, can be the
only reason for a man, by far the most cele-
brated expert in his special field of endeavor,
not to try to maintain a monopoly of his scien-
tific findings, but make them accessible to the
public. Such altruism is so much more re-
markable if this man happens to be a member
of the Æsculapian priesthood, a clan which,
not unlike the Holy Roman Church, always
assumed, and still assumes to a certain extent,
an air of mysticism, for the purpose of barring
the layman. For the very same reason–that
of maintaining a monopoly–dead and obso-
lete languages are resorted to, for recording
experiences in the form of technical terms,
and even for the writing of prescriptions.

Of course, it must be admitted that the ac-
tivities of insufficiently informed people,
known as “quacks,” have done great damage
to society. On the other hand, nobody will
deny any more that the popularizing of mod-
 

Introduction

ern hygiene, bacteriology, anatomy and pa-
thology has proven a boon to humanity in
general.

It is typical of the Father of Psychoanaly-
sis, imbued with a deep sense of fairness to-
wards mankind, that he has never indulged in
a narrow-minded, professional point of view.

The mere accident that it remained for the
science of medicine to discover the Psychology
of the Unconscious and Psychoanalysis as
such, was not enough reason for Sigmund
Freud to treat his discovery as a strictly med-
ical preserve.

Very helpful to Freud in this respect was
the fact that he has a striking gift to make
himself easily understood to the laity, in a
manner usually not to be found in people spe-
cializing in the intricacies of science. Doubt-
less, Sigmund Freud's astonishing gift to be
his own best popularizer, unquestionably takes
root in his ability to fathom the soul of others,
to speak to each and everyone in their own
language, as it were.

To my mind, Sigmund Freud's treatise on
The Problem of Lay-Analyses gives much
[12]

13

Introduction

more than the title promises. This treatise is
a complete outline, succinct and lucid at the
same time, of psychoanalysis in its present
state. If anybody would ask me today what
book I could recommend to him for the easy
understanding and grasping of the very es-
sence of psychoanalysis, I should not hesitate
to recommend The Problem of Lay-Analyses.
This book, to my best knowledge and belief,
appears to me exemplary in its lucidity.

Freud unhesitatingly and strongly criticises
“quacks,” who attempt to employ psychoanal-
ysis without first being fully prepared for such
work. To him it does not make the slightest
difference whether these “quacks” are med-
ically trained men–most of whom have up
to now given only scant sympathy to his teach-
ings–or, medically unprepared laymen.
Freud is of the opinion that it is not the med-
ical training and the “M.D.” degree which
makes a man a competent psychoanalyst, but
rather inherent insight into the human soul–
first of all, into the unconscious layers of his
own soul–and practical training. According
to Freud, there are just as many medical as

[14]

Introduction

non-medical “quacks” exploiting psychoanaly-
sis to the detriment of the general public and
the new science as such. Moreover, at the
present time, the relations of psychoanalysis
to sciences in general are at least as close as
they are to biology and medicine. It would,
therefore, seem unfair to exclude non-medi-
cally trained men and women from the circle
of psychoanalysts.

Of course, Freud does not close his eyes to
the danger lurking behind the possibility of
confounding strictly organic diseases with so-
called functional or nervous ailments. Only
after it is ascertained beyond doubt, by thor-
ough medical examination, that a patient is
a subject for psychoanalytical treatment, does
Freud permit him to participate in the bene-
fits of this therapy.

The number of physicians is too limited
and their duties in general too manifold to
allow all of them to devote themselves to the
study and the application of psychoanalysis,
to an extent which would actually exhaust the
healing qualities of this new science. A whole
army of psychoanalysts alone would be nec-

15

Introduction

essary to treat all those so-called incorrigible
children whose ailings and failings constitute
a grave danger for the coming generation.
Great numbers of trained psychoanalysts
would also be necessary to attend to such
“cases” as penal and insane institutions offer,
for the purpose of gradually substituting san-
itariums for penitentiaries.

“Criminal Therapy,” on a psychoanalytical
basis, looms up to me as one of the biggest
issues facing us, at the present time. Another
issue, less urgent perhaps, is the psychological
readjustment that thousands upon thousands
need in their relations to family, profession
and society in general. This opens a tremen-
dous field for the analytically trained social
workers.

Another field where applied psychoanalysis
might become one of the indispensable nec-
essities is the realm of education. All school
teachers ought to have a thorough psycho-
analytical training, so that we may entrust
our children to them with more confidence.
Finally–last but not least–all professional
men whose work, in one way or another, has

16

Introduction

any bearing on the human soul, should be
psychoanalytically trained. Anthropology,
sociology, history, the psychology of art can
no longer dispense with psychoanalysis.

It is in view of the extreme importance of
psychoanalysis in all these fields of human
endeavor that Freud asks whether the im-
measurable advantages which the new science
presents should be restricted, from sheer fear
of a more or less studiously over-emphasized
danger resulting from quackery. Dissemina-
tion of information seems to be the best agent
for discouraging quackery and spreading de-
pendable facts on the subject.

For the necessity of preparing an American
edition of The Problem of Lay-Analyses so
soon after the publication of the German orig-
inal, I myself may serve as a witness. It was
my good fortune to accompany Dr. Freud on
his now almost historical Argonauts’ trip to
America in 1909, and admire the courageous
readiness with which America’s outstanding
leaders in the fields of psychology and neu-
rology interested themselves in Freud’s theo-
ries. At that time, Freud and his teachings

17

Introduction

were still the bone of contention in the camps
of European scientists.

The Nestor of America’s psychology, Dr.
G. Stanley Hall, enthusiastically embraced
Freud’s teachings. Dr. William James, the
great philosopher and psychologist, listened to
our gospel with great interest, though not as
enthusiastic as Dr. Hall. Touching to the ex-
treme was that youthful thirst of knowledge,
with which Dr. James J. Putnam, that grand
old man of Harvard University, hung on the
lips of Dr. Freud. It is due to the untiring
efforts of these men and the translation of
Freud’s books by Dr. A. A. Brill, that psycho-
analysis, in a comparatively short time and to
a surprisingly great extent, gained ground in
all strata of society in the United States. It is
a matter of record that America became in-
terested in Psychoanalysis much quicker than
Europe.

Now, visiting America again after almost
twenty years, I had occasion to observe how
lasting and far-reaching an influence Dr.
Freud’s teachings exert on all strata of Amer-
ican society. Of course, not only Freud and

[18]

Introduction

what he stands for, but also psychology in
general, especially as it is applied to educa-
tion. Time and again, I have noticed that it
seems fairly impossible to listen to a conver-
sation for any length of time, without hearing
problems of psychoanalysis and the name
Freud mentioned.

Not less stimulating and informative than
the first, is the second part of the present
volume, containing Freud’s own story of his
life and his science. It is common knowledge
today that Freud, in his inimitable objectiv-
ity, has always published facts and fancies
which other scientists would have been only
too careful to hide from the eyes of their con-
temporaries.

On the occasion of Freud’s seventieth birth-
day, I wrote in THE INTERNATIONAL JOUR-
NAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS (July/October
1926):

So far as his personality is concerned, he has
completely taken the wind from the sails of
modern methods of inquiry which attempts to
gain fresh insight into the development of a
scientist’s views, by studying the intimate de-
 

[19]

Introduction

tails of his private life. In his “Traumdeutung
and “Psychopathologie des Alltagslebens,
Freud has undertaken this task himself in a
way previously unknown, and has not only in-
dicated new lines of research for this kind of
inquiry, but given for all time an example of a
candor quite ruthless towards himself. He has
also revealed unhesitatingly the ‘secrets of the
laboratory’, the inevitable vacillations and un-
certainties that are usually so carefully kept
hidden.

I hope that the reader will agree with me
that the part of this book which contains
Freud’s “An Autobiographical Study” again
displays candor and frankness to an astonish-
ing degree. This part of the present volume,
aside from other information, will also dem-
onstrate to the student of psychology the toler-
ance Freud manifests in regard to former dis-
ciples of his who, apparently driven by an
overpowering impatience, or because “they
did not fancy to dwell in the Depths of the
Unconscious” only too early, and with deplor-
able rashness, hastened to generalize their
ideas, notwithstanding the insufficiency of
their theories to explain complicated facts. As

Introduction

far as I am personally concerned, I cannot
help considering Freud as one of the most pro-
gressive disciples of his own teachings, while
the apostates of his doctrine appear to me as
prematurely aged reactionaries.

Equipped with devious excuses and devices,
these apostates deserted the paths of Freud’s
teachings–paths that require the courage of
the born pioneer–to return to the broad and
beaten paths of orthodox psychology and
biology.

May I not once more quote myself in this
connection?

On December 28, 1926, speaking before the
Mid-winter meeting of the American Psycho-
analytical Association, I said:

It is a great mistake to gauge the age of a
person by the number of years he has lived. To
remain productive and to be capable of chang-
ing one’s opinions is to stay young. Both of
these attributes are highly characteristic of
Professor Freud, as his latest works attest.
One finds nothing in them of stagnation in dog-
matic assertions or of exhaustion of the fan-
tasy. Against his own earlier theses he is per-
haps often too unsparing, and the breadth of

[20]

[21]

Introduction

his perspective often exceeds everything which
he has created in the past.

In conclusion, I wish to express the hope
that this book will assist in dissipating an
erroneous belief prevalent in certain circles.
It appears that the general public have a
decided tendency to confound Freud’s teach-
ings and psychoanalysis, as such, with the
subject of sex. “According to Freud there is
only one causa movens, and that is sex!” is
one of their mis-statements.

Of course, faithful students of Freud’s
teachings will never arrive at such fallacious
deductions. True, the attentive reader of this
book will find that Freud, as far as sex is con-
cerned, allots to this instinct more importance
than the prudery and hypocrisy of present-
day society is ready to grant it. But, ever and
again, Freud emphasizes the mastering of
urges–not by repression, to be sure, but by
elimination of all that which appears logi-
cally, ethically, and æsthetically undesirable.

DR. S. FERENCZI.
Budapest,
Hungary.

New York, September 1927.

The Psychic Life of Micro-Organisms. Binet.

The Subconscious Self. Jastrow.

The Psychology of Suggestion. Sidis.

The Psychology of Peoples. Le Bon.

The Crowd. Le Bon.

The Psychology of Socialism. Le Bon.

The Psychology of Woman. Lombroso.

The Psychology of Religion. Starbuck.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ribot.

The Psychology of Attention. Ribot.

The Diseases of Personality. Ribot.

The Diseases of the Will. Ribot.

The Diseases of Memory. Ribot.

The Psychology of Reasoning. Binet.

Hypnotism. Moll.

The Psychology of Sex. Ellis.

The New Psychology. Scripture.

The Psychology of Peoples. Wundt.

The Psychology of the Moral Self. Bosanquet.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Mosso.

The Psychology of the Emotions. James.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Lange.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Sergi.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Féré.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Mantegazza.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ribot.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Stout.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Sully.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ward.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Wundt.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ziehen.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Baldwin.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Dewey.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Höffding.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Irons.

The Psychology of the Emotions. James.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ladd.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Lehmann.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Marshall.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Mosso.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Münsterberg.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Paulhan.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ribot.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Sollier.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Stanley.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Stout.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Sully.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Titchener.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ward.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Wundt.

The Psychology of the Emotions. Ziehen.

New York, September, 1902.

[Key]