The Interpretation of Dreams - Criticism

Criticism

Some later psychoanalysts have expressed frustration with this section, as it encouraged the notion that dream interpretation was a straightforward hunt for symbols of sex, penises, etc. (Example: "Steep inclines, ladders and stairs, and going up or down them, are symbolic representations of the sexual act.") However, Freud repeatedly argued that he never claimed anything of the sort and felt compelled to address this simplistic interpretation of his work in the fifth edition of the book (1919):

"The assertion that all dreams require a sexual interpretation, against which critics rage so incessantly, occurs nowhere in my Interpretation of Dreams. It is not to be found in any of the numerous editions of this book and is in obvious contradiction to other views expressed in it." - The Interpretation of Dreams, fifth edition, 1919, Chapter VI, Section E, translated by James Strachey, 1953

Some authors, such as Hans Eysenck, have argued that the dreams Freud cites do not really support his theories. Eysenck argues in Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire that Freud's examples actually disprove his dream theory. Max Schur, Freud's physician and friend, has provided evidence that the first dream that Freud analyzed, his so-called "Irma dream" was not very disguised, but actually portrayed rather closely a medical disaster of Emma Eckstein, one of Freud's patients.