Part 1

THE PROBLEM OF LAY-ANALYSES

SIGMUND FREUD

INTRODUCTION BY DR. S. FERENCZI

NEW YORK MCMXXVII

BRENTANO’S ▾ PUBLISHER

COPYRIGHT, 1927, BY BRENTANO’S INC.

Manufactured in the United States of America

The Problem of Lay-Analyses has been translated by A. Paul Maerker-Branden

and

An Autobiographical Study has been translated by James Strachey.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 11 THE PROBLEM OF LAY-ANALYSES 25 AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STUDY 189

INTRODUCTION

An all-pervading feeling of profound responsibility to society in general, can be the only reason for a man, by far the most celebrated expert in his special field of endeavor, not to try to maintain a monopoly of his scientific findings, but make them accessible to the public. Such altruism is so much more remarkable 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 obsolete 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 activities 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 modern hygiene, bacteriology, anatomy and pathology has proven a boon to humanity in general.

It is typical of the Father of Psychoanalysis, imbued with a deep sense of fairness towards 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 medical 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 specializing in the intricacies of science. Doubtless, 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 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 essence 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 psychoanalysis without first being fully prepared for such work. To him it does not make the slightest difference whether these “quacks” are medically trained men—most of whom have up to now given only scant sympathy to his teachings—or, medically unprepared laymen. Freud is of the opinion that it is not the medical 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 non-medical “quacks” exploiting psychoanalysis 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-medically 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 thorough medical examination, that a patient is a subject for psychoanalytical treatment, does Freud permit him to participate in the benefits 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 necessary 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 sanitariums 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 tremendous field for the analytically trained social workers.

Another field where applied psychoanalysis might become one of the indispensable necessities is the realm of education. All school teachers ought to have a thorough psychoanalytical 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 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 immeasurable advantages which the new science presents should be restricted, from sheer fear of a more or less studiously over-emphasized danger resulting from quackery. Dissemination of information seems to be the best agent for discouraging quackery and spreading dependable 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 original, 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 neurology interested themselves in Freud’s theories. At that time, Freud and his teachings 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 extreme 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 psychoanalysis, 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 interested 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 American society. Of course, not only Freud and what he stands for, but also psychology in general, especially as it is applied to education. Time and again, I have noticed that it seems fairly impossible to listen to a conversation for any length of time, without hearing problems of psychoanalysis and the name Freud mentioned.