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Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #5

Introducing Freud: A Graphic Guide

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Freud revolutionized the way we think about ourselves. His psychoanalytic terms such as Id, Ego, libido, neurosis and Oedipus Complex have become a part of our everyday vocabulary. But do we know what they really mean? "Introducing Freud" successfully demystifies the facts of Freud's discovery of psychoanalysis. Irreverent and witty but never trivial, the book tells the story of Freud's life and ideas from his upbringing in 19th-century Vienna, his early medical career and his encounter with cocaine, to the gradual evolution of his theories on the unconscious, dreams and sexuality. With its combination of brilliantly clever artwork and incisive text, this book has achieved international success as one of the most entertaining and informative introductions to the father of psychoanalysis.

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Oscar Zárate

56 books22 followers
Oscar Zárate (born 1942) is an Argentine comic book artist and illustrator. Zarate studied architecture and had a successful career in advertising in Argentina. He moved to Europe in 1971 and began to work in earnest as an illustrator. He has drawn for the UK comics magazine Crisis. In the Introducing... and ...For Beginners book series he illustrated texts written by Richard Appignanesi, Alexei Sayle, Dylan Evans, J P McEvoy, Angus Gellatly and Rupert Woodfin. He is perhaps best known in the United States as the artist for the graphic novel A Small Killing written by Alan Moore, the a full length story about a once idealistic advertising executive haunted by his boyhood self.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
Profile Image for Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill).
1,358 reviews3,394 followers
December 17, 2023
The works of Freud have helped us a lot to more about the intricate functioning of the human mind. His book, The Interpretation of Dreams, is considered one of the classics in the field of Psychiatry.

Even though we can’t fully agree with all the teachings of Freud, we have to say that most of his works are simply brilliant, and he was way ahead of his generation. This book will help you to know more about Freud.
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Profile Image for Melina.
61 reviews69 followers
October 11, 2020
Ένα ανάλαφρο βιβλίο με τη μορφή κόμικ που προσπαθεί να σε μυήσει στο έργο του Φρόυντ και να ξεδιαλύνει ιδέες και δυσνόητες έννοιες που καθόρισαν σε τεράστιο βαθμό τον τρόπο με τον όποιον αντιμετωπίζουμε σήμερα τις νευρώσεις και που έθεσαν τις βάσεις της λεγόμενης ψυχαναλυτικής θεωρίας, η οποία αποτελεί τμήμα της θεραπείας ενός μεγάλου εύρους ψυχικών διαταραχών.

Μια καλή αρχή για όποιον θέλει να το ψάξει περισσότερο με αναφόρες στα σημαντικότερα έργα του Φρόυντ, όπως:
1. Αφασία (1891)
2. Βρεφική εγκεφαλική παράλυση (1891-93)
3. Μελέτες για την υστερία (1895)
4. Η ερμηνεία των ονείρων (1900)
5. Η ψυχοπαθολογία της καθημερινής ζωής (1901)
6. Τρεις μελέτες για τη θεωρία της σεξουαλικότητας (1905)
7. Τοτέμ και ταμπού (1913)
8. Πένθος και μελαγχολία (1915)
9. Μέλλον μιας αυταπάτης (1928)
10. Ο πολιτισμός ως πηγή δυστυχίας (1929)

Αναφορές από τις μελέτες της υστερίας, τις μελέτες της κοκαϊνης, την επινόηση του όρου της ψυχανάλυσης, το οιδιπόδειο σύμπλεγμα και την παιδική σεξουαλικότητα, την ερμηνεία των ονείρων, τη διερευνηση του ασυνειδήτου, τον τοτεμισμό και την αιμομειξία, τον ναρκισσισμό, το πένθος και τη μελαγχολία, το θάνατο.

Δίδονται με ξεκάθαρο τρόπο και αρκετά απλοϊκά διάφορες περιπτώσεις ασθενών όπως η περίφημη υπόθεση της Άννας Ο., η ιστορία του μικρού Χανς, η ιστορία του ποντικανθρώπου, καθώς επίσης και έννοιες όπως της μετάθεσης και των φροϋδικών συμβόλων, της καθήλωσης, της παλινδρόμησης, της αναστροφής, της ενδοπροβολής και της ψυχαναγκαστικής επαναληψιμότητας. Γίνονται αναφορές στην αρχή της ηδονής (που αντανακλά το ασυνείδητο, τα πρωτόγονα ένστικτα και άρα ουσιαστικά τις πρωτογενείς λειτουργείες) και στην αρχή της πραγματικότητας (που αντανακλά το προσυνείδητο και τις δευτερογενείς λειτουργείες). Ο Φρόυντ θεωρεί πως όλη η ανθρώπινη σκέψη βασίζεται σε συμβιβασμούς και συγκρούσεις μεταξύ προσυνειδήτου και ασυνειδήτου.

Μελετώντας την παιδική σεξουαλικότητα και τα στάδια της ψυχοσεξουαλικής ανάπτυξης εκφράζει μια ενδιαφέρουσα άποψη. Ότι δηλαδή μόνο στους ανθρώπους η σεξουαλική ζωή εμφανίζεται σε δύο φάσεις: τη νηπιακή ηλικία και την εφηβεία. Πράγμα που είναι άγνωστο στα άλλα ζώα και που παίζει σπουδαίο ρόλο στον εξανθρωπισμό. Εδώ θα τολμήσω να προσθέσω πως και ενδοκρινολογικά στηρίζεται η θεωρία αυτή εφόσον οι υποφυσιακές ορμόνες που διεγείρουν τους όρχεις και τις ωοθήκες προς παραγωγή στεροειδών ορμονών του φύλου παρουσιάζουν αιχμές αυξομειώσεων σε νεογνική και πρώιμη βρεφική ηλικία και σε εφηβική ηλικία. Μάλιστα η εμβρυική και νεογνική ηλικία χαρακτηρίζονται ως mini puberty (μικρή εφηβεία). Οι αυξομείωσεις αυτές μειώνονται στην προεφηβική ηλικία λόγω της δράσης ενός νευροπεπτιδίου (NPY). Παραθέτω αντίστοιχο απόσπασμα από το pubmed:

''Minipuberty consists of activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis during the neonatal period, resulting in high gonadotropin and sex steroid levels, and occurs mainly in the first 3–6 months of life in both sexes. The rise in the levels of these hormones allows for the maturation of the sexual organs''.

Άλλη μια ενδιαφέρουσα άποψη είναι ότι ο σκοπός της ψυχικής δραστηριότητας είναι να μειώσει την ένταση που προκαλείται από διάφορα ένστικτα ή εξωτερική διέγερση. Η ψυχαναγκαστική επαναληπτικότητα είναι μια ενστικτώδης παλινδρομική αρχή που αποσκοπεί στην επιστροφή σε μια κατάσταση τελείως απαλλαγμένη από κάθε μορφή ενέργειας - το θάνατο. Και άρα ''Σκοπός όλης της ζωής είναι ο θάνατος''.

Πώς διαβάζοντας το Άκου Ανθρωπάκο κατέληξα να το αφήσω στη μέση και να καταβροχθήσω σε μια μέρα το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, πραγματικά ούτε εγώ το κατάλαβα. Όμως μέσα σ'αυτό το βιβλίο βρήκα μια απάντηση που μου άρεσε πολύ σχετικά με την ψυχολογία της μάζας και την εξουσία, θέματα που διαπραγματεύεται ο Ράιχ στο Άκου Ανθρωπάκο.

''Πώς ταυτίζουν οι άνθρωποι τον εαυτό τους σε μια ομάδα ή κοινωνία;
Η πρόσδεση του λίμπιντο σ'ένα αντικείμενο μπορεί να γίνει σε μαζική κλίμακα.
Τα άτομα βάζουν ένα και το αυτό αντικείμενο στη θέση του υπέρ-εγώ. Μέσα στο εγώ τους, ταυτίζουν στους εαυτούς τους ο ένας με τον άλλον.
Ας πούμε όμως ότι το υπερεγώ παραδίνεται σε κάποιον αρχηγό. Τι συμβαίνει τότε;
Δημιουργείται ένα πολύ επικίνδυνο είδος μαζικής ''ερωτοπληξίας''. Που είναι ό,τι ακριβώς συνέβη στη Γερμανία της δεκαετίας του 30''.

(▪Το ''εκείνο'' ή ''προεγώ'' αντιπροσωπεύει τα αρχέγονα ένστικτα και τις βασικές ανάγκες, είναι έμφυτο και αποτελέι ουσιαστικά το ασυνείδητο.
▪Το ''εγώ'' αποτελεί το λογικό, συνειδητό μέρος που δεν είναι έμφυτο αλλά αναπτύσσεται και καλλιεργείται.
▪Το ''υπερεγώ'' αντιπροσωπεύει έναν ''εσωτερικό αστυνόμο'' ή αλλιώς τις θετικές ηθικές και κοινωνικές αξίες του ατόμου, αποτελώντας κατά κάποιο τρόπο την ηθική συνείδηση.)

''Οι άνθρωποι μπορεί να επιζητούν ενστικτωδώς την ηδονή, καταβάλλουν όμως περισσότερη προσπάθεια προκειμένου να αποφύγουν τον πόνο. Η πραγματικότητα παρέχει πολύ περισσότερες ευκαιρίες να δοκιμάσει κανείς την εμπειρία του πόνου παρά αυτήν της ηδονής. Γι'αυτό ο περισσότερος κόσμος θα θυσίαζε την ηδονή, αν ο πολιτισμός μπορούσε σε αντάλλαγμα να προσφέρει λιγότερο πόνο''.

Στο τέλος περιλαμβάνει και Λεξικό Όρων Ψυχανάλυσης, πολύ βοηθητικό για την κατανόηση αυτού και άλλων ανάλογων βιβλίων.
Profile Image for carolina.
193 reviews544 followers
April 21, 2022
i feel sexy i feel smart and i actually now understand what my philosophy teacher was trying to teach me el oh el
Profile Image for তানজীম রহমান.
Author 27 books690 followers
April 23, 2017
Well this was a super-fun read.
I was delighted when Wasee Ahmed Rafi sent me this book as a gift. I was already familiar with this series, I'd previously bought 'Introducing Postmodernism' and 'Introducing Modernism'; and I enjoyed them both. This one was no exception.
The book takes you on a brief, truncated tour through Freud's life and ideas. The writing is punchy and to the point, a paragraph per page at most. Although the writer doesn't go too in-depth regarding any of the ideas, that is because it's not the purpose of the book. It's supposed to be an introduction, and it does introduce everything there is to know about Freud competently.
But the highlight of the book is the illustrations. Often providing necessary humor but never compromising clarity, the artwork in this book is splendid. I would love to see an animated version of the book, documentary style.
If you were ever curious about Freud but all those heavy books kept you at a distance, please give this a try.
Profile Image for Dov Zeller.
Author 2 books121 followers
December 12, 2015
This is a great introduction to Freud as a theorist, a therapist and a human. It is clear in the course of the book that with his clients, Freud is really trying to understand trauma and "anti-social" behavior in order to help people manage their daily lives and social connections. At the same time, he seems to get obsessed with "fixing" people, trying to make them function within fairly limited, limiting conditions, which I find to be worrisome.

The book also did a great job of showing his efforts as he over-does it a bit trying to create a theoretical and even metaphorical framework that encompasses every facet of human behavior, with sexuality at the core, and this effort leads him into the woods of his own thinking, where he can really get lost and forget that his thinking isn't only about thinking. And clearly his effortfully theorized work has led a lot of psychologists, social workers and therapists down some pretty questionable paths. At the same time, he is certainly an important and influential thinker, which is all fine and good, as long as his ideas are taken with some several grains of salt.

It was sad to witness his struggle with relationships and with poor health. I have read quite a bit about and by Freud over the years, but I had some moments of clarity when reading this, about his own relationship struggles. He doesn't seem to very willing to accept criticism of others, which limits conversations that might have led to some stunning collaborative work. But that is not to say he isn't critical of his own work, or that he considers it to be without flaws.

All in all, he is a complicated character who struggles with his own wayward (?) desires and fantasies and limitations and seems to fluctuate between making an argument for acceptance of a larger diversity of human behavior, culture and sexuality, and wanting to confine the scope of what is normal until it is too narrow to accept almost any human behavior.

One thing I would have liked to learn more from in this book is his relationship with his closest family members. They are mentioned, but mostly in passing.

Profile Image for izzy.
18 reviews
April 20, 2024
3.5/5? idk? this was good im j not big on nonfiction... i def learned abt some interesting concepts but i think the language in this book is a bit too high level for me or smt 😭 it feels as if it uses the word in the definition a lot? or it would use concepts i didnt fully understand to explain another concept so of course i didnt get the new concept? idk. ig it doesnt matter too much bc many of his theories have been disproven. might need to watch a youtube vid to make everything i j learned make sense in my brain.
Profile Image for Madi.
95 reviews4 followers
July 18, 2023
Como principiante, achei muito goofy. Normalizem explicar conceitos de formas divertidas. Definitivamente continuo a saber quase nada sobre as teorias dele mas é uma introdução sólida a conceitos que podem ser um bocado complicados (ou então eu é que sou b-).
Profile Image for ramsha! :).
12 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2022
bro really pissed himself once and used it to justify making his life's work about intergenerational incest 💀💀
Profile Image for Köksal KÖK .
662 reviews73 followers
February 5, 2018
konu başlıklarından bazıları;

-ırkçılık,
-sefalet,
-viyana,
-charcot ile 19 hafta,
-anna o. vakası,
-psiknaliz,
-serbest çağrışım tekniği,
-insanlık için önemli bir ilerleme,
-serbest çağrışım tekniğinin yardımıyla hatırlama,
-düşlerin yorumu,
-bir saplantı nevrozlusu,
-oidipus öyküsü,
-düş analizinin önemi,
-bilinçdışı,
-haz ilkesi,
-çocukluğa dönüş,
-bireyin cinsel tarihi, doğumuyla başlar,
-birinci bölge: oral dönem,
-ikinci bölge: anal aşama,
-üçüncü bölge: fallik dönemi,
-küçük hans vakası,
-4. gizlilik dönemi,
-bilgi, sağlık mıdır?
-1. devrim, kozmoloji,
-2. devrim, biyoloji, darwin,
-freudun 3. devrimi: bilinçdışının psikolojisi,
-sıçan adam-fare adam, bir saplantı nevrozu vakası üzerine notler,
-psikanaliz hareketi, 1902
-totemcilik ve ensest,
-terapi sorunları,
-narkisos efsanesi,
-normal narsisizm,
-anormal narsisizm,
-1914-18, 1. dünya savaşı,
-yas tutma ve melankoli, 1915
-ölüm içgüdüsü ya da thanatos,
-yaşam içgüdüsü ya da eros,
-acılı yıllar, 1920, 23
-ben id ve üst ben,
-küçük sözlük, s.169

dikkatle okudum, altını çizerek, sağına soluna notlar alarak: amaa, önce tabii ki varsa kaynakça ve sözlük bölümlerini önce okur incelerim.

bir konuda araştırma mı yapıyorum;

-önce kısa bi vikipedi bilgisi,
-sonra giriş kitabı,
-daha sonra konuyla ilgili tarihi bir roman,
-en sonunda da, bir temel oluştupu için, akademik yayınları kitapları okumaya geçebilirim.

herkes için, yeni başlayanlar için, acemiler için, aptallar için, şuna bunaa giriş... gibi giriş-temel kitaplar, benim için çok çok değerli. zira olayın konunun abcsini öğrenmek, kısa bir vikipedi bilgisi edinmek çok çok önemli.

kitap, freudun hayatını çalışmalarını kronolojik olarak, çizimlerle gayet anlaşılır ve doyurucu bir şekilde anlatıyor. tüm psikoloji öğrencileri ve de herkes okumalı bence.

içinde, acayip bilgiler var; özellikle vakalar.
2.2.2018
Profile Image for Anna.
1,923 reviews892 followers
November 29, 2016
I like the 'Introducing' series, they really do make complex theoretical literature accessible. This one was especially quick to read and clearly explained. Indeed, in comparison to Lacan's convolutions Freud seems positively staid. Of course, Freud's work has filtered into the mainstream far more thoroughly, so his terminology seems much more familiar than Lacan's. This book provides a useful explanation for what Freud actually meant, though, as the vague understanding I'd gained from popular culture was incoherent. It's funny how many of Freud's terms have entered popular speech, really. Someone being 'anal' about something, a Freudian slip (apparently his term was 'parapraxis'), and the Oedipus complex occur in conversation with relative frequency.

Actually, it's interesting to compare Freud's current reputation to his actual work. He often seems to be dismissed these days as a sex-obsessed crank, but he pioneered the 'talking cure' approach to treating mental disorders and this continues to thrive. It is his emphasis on sexuality as the motivation behind nearly all behaviour that has been dismissed. I didn't previously realise, also, that he was moved the concept of 'hysteria' away from being exclusively female and wrote about how femininity and masculinity are social constructions rather than absolutes.

As with every other bit of psychoanalytic theory I've read, I just can't believe that there is a single universal model for human development and behaviour. Freud's may apply in some cases, but his emphasis on the Oedipus complex and infantile sexuality doesn't convince me. I rather like his model of the id, ego, and super-ego, though, as long as the impulses and desires within the model aren't all assumed to be sexual. Likewise, 'libido' is a tricky concept. As far as I can tell, Freud identifies it almost exclusively with sexuality, whereas I think Lacan did so only partially (distinguishing a 'sexual libido'). Personally, I think Lacan's definition is more helpful, although his theories are bewilderingly complicated.

I also wondered whilst reading this to what extent Freud thought the purpose of psychoanalysis was to achieve sort of ideal, balanced personality. Labelling fetishists, for example, as neurotics implies that they should identify the root of that behaviour and stop doing it. You could also argue, though, that if their neurosis isn't hurting anyone and doesn't upset them, there is no need. Psychoanalytic theory seems to have been taken up in the sphere of political theory, at least in the bit of Žižek that I've managed to read. That makes me think of psychoanalysis as a potential tool for persuasion, or simply to reduce heterogeneity. Rather than speculating vaguely, however, I should just read more Žižek. After all, the reason I've been working my way through several of the 'Introducing' series is that they provide helpful stepping stones towards reading and understanding other books. They are useful enablers.
Profile Image for elsa.
147 reviews
July 31, 2020
Hmmm well I just decided to read this lol but it was actually really informative and it was quite interesting reading about Freud and his theories. If you’re interested in Psychology but find it a lil difficult, this is quite helpful!
Profile Image for Nandini.
75 reviews10 followers
December 8, 2023
Interesting introduction to Freud

This was a good and informative introduction to the world-famous(infamous? ) psychologist Sigmund Freud. I enjoyed reading it, and the book is beginner-friendly: just having the right dose of explanation and moving on.
Profile Image for Shubham Kansal.
54 reviews3 followers
July 18, 2020
An introduction to Sigmund Freud work

Why I read this book?💯
---------------------------------
Dr. Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. Many books had mentioned his name and the most famous book is "think and grow rich". His name always fascinate me and made me curious enough to know more about him. This book is a graphic book. It would be interesting to read it.

What you learn from this book?💯
------------------------------------------------
This book is a treasure for the ones who likes to read behavioural and psychological subjects. It provide you a short glimpse of Sigmund Freud works. He was often called the founder of psychology. He extensively used psychological methods to cure his patients.
It contains the methods that he used to cure them. Many personal life stories of Sigmund Freud is also written in it.
Most of the work of Freud is based on unconscious, libido and sexuality.
Explicit images are used in almost every topic.

Women's termed Freud as a anti feminist.
Freud made a acidulous remark that
" Women is penis envy "
-------------------------------
Last chapter of the book is a dictionary of Sigmund psychology terms.

Part of the book💯:-
--------------------------
Any manifest object which suggests penetration, such as swords, guns, umbrellas, snakes, etc., can symbolize the penis. Objects suggesting receptacles, such as boxes, purses, caves, etc., can symbolize the vagina. But Freud warns that interpretation is never so simple.

Who should read this book?💯
------------------------------------------
As I already mentioned earlier this book is must who study psychology and behaviour.

My Ratings ⭐⭐⭐
One ⭐ for the Sigmund Freud himself
One ⭐ for giving it comic like feel
One ⭐ for including a dictionary
One ❌ because of not describing the method in easy way. It include many hard words which is even difficult for me who read good books on this subject. Dictionary is only helpful in meaning but not in explaining the method.
One ❌ because it get boring midway due to again the same factor as mentioned above.
Profile Image for Lily Marlene.
26 reviews
August 27, 2023
Me and my friends each bought a copy with coins we fished out of a river, the fever dream life of Freud lived up to the manner in which we obtained the book
Profile Image for Olga Torras.
26 reviews
June 29, 2024
Grata sorpresa. Un pequeño libro que combina la información con lo que solo puede describirse como arte gráfico. Geniales dibujos con un punto satírico ilustran y sobretodo complementan aquello que el libro va contando. Está escrito de manera autobiográfica con lo que ayuda a entender el personaje en su contexto y también su obra. Me quedo con los dibujos e ilustraciones y mi única pega es que la
Resolución de algunas imágenes podría ser mejor pero se disfruta mucho. Se lee en una tarde (que llueva).
Profile Image for Myle.
12 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2021
Un modo dovertente di conoscefe la vita di Freud.
Letto tutto d'un fiato.
14 reviews1 follower
Read
October 22, 2022
it's not what it looks like, I was forced to read this
Profile Image for Gi Reina.
145 reviews4 followers
May 17, 2023
Expone muy bien las ideas de Freud, algo desfasadas en mi opinión. A pesar de la temática, los dibujos hace la teoría un poco más amena.
Profile Image for Ellen-Arwen Tristram.
Author 1 book73 followers
April 28, 2024
Well. Ummmm... I've never read a book with so many penises in it ROFL >.<

Actually, for what it's worth, this is a good introduction to Freud. Yes, it's a graphic novel, but with a much greater proportion of text to pictures than in your average graphic novel so you can really get some proper information about Freud (not saying that I'll remember all the details but it was clearly described and succinct - when it wasn't being deliberately rambling, that is... )

It's a truncated history, obviously, but it's a good one and strikes the right balance of humour and information (the pictures carried a lot of the humour).

Definitely recommend to anyone who's curious about Freud!
Profile Image for Enya.
147 reviews10 followers
April 3, 2017
It's difficult to figure out what this book is trying to achieve and what audience it's trying to pitch to but it's a good springboard to jump from.

Pros
- Easily the best part of this book is the artwork, it keeps the text engaging and adds a nice touch of humour to the whole thing (plus the many subtle penises hidden everywhere kept it interesting!)
- It can be read in under two hours making this a bite-size way to get a little more familiar with the topic
- The 'Little Dictionary' at the back was brilliantly helpful but it should've been at the beginning!

Cons
- This is an overview rather than an introduction, I found it quite hard to access and needed a bit of help from dear old Google
- The explanations could have done with more/better examples, I found them confusing rather than helpful
- I get a strong impression that this book is aimed at a psychology/sociology student audience rather than a layman or someone with a casual interest in psychology, despite its title


I found the title of this book misleading - it wasn't so much an introduction to Freud but a brief summary of his ideas accompanied by very brief examples of them in action and the tiniest mentions of his personal life. Unless you already know what's going on, it just doesn't make all that much sense as the explanations and technical terms come at you hard and fast. At the very end of the book, I found the 'Little Dictionary' of terms. This added much greater understanding to the book, I only wish the dictionary was at the beginning (or that it was mentioned at the beginning) so I could've used it alongside the reading. I do think this would be far more useful as a revision tool rather than an introductory text, there have got to be simpler ways to introduce Freud than this book.
Though the book is short, be prepared to spend some time online digging around for simpler explanations or further examples to the theories that are mentioned.

I've now read a handful of books from this series and the comic-book style never fails to disappoint. As I've come to expect, the illustrations manage to be funny, entertaining and are a brilliant addition to the text. They really stood out here as the memorable drawings creatively flow with the text to make the whole book more engaging and the complemented the ideas, particularly the more sensitive areas regarding the discussions on incest and the sexuality of prepubescent children as it gave such taboo issues a different degree of approachability. Some of the illustrations were a bit distasteful but if you're reading anything to do with Freud and you're not at some point squirming in your chair, you're probably doing it wrong (or at least, too often!).
Profile Image for Sofia Acero.
579 reviews72 followers
August 5, 2023
“Desde que inicié el estudio del inconsciente, me encontré a mí mismo muy interesante”

Freud, ese hombre que nos observa con mirada crítica, que parece que nos analiza hasta el alma. Esta expresión tiene todo el sentido del mundo si consideramos que es el padre del Psicoanálisis y se dedicó a explorar una parte de nosotros oculta e importante: el inconsiente. Si bien sus teorías en la actualidad tienen varios críticos -sobre todo considerando el aspecto sociológico- lo cierto es que sus descubrimientos han cambiado nuestra percepción de nosotros mismos. No obstante, ¿realmente cuánto sabemos?

Sé que estos temas de psicología y psicoanálisis parecen muy confusos. Por eso, agradezco muchísimo tener libros como Freud para principiantes. En primer lugar, me gustó la manera en la que expusieron información como la infancia de Freud, su carácter de mayor, los problemas de salud que tuvo, cómo impacto su contexto con su trabajo y todos los avances que tuvo para intentar explicar lo que sucede en nuestra mente.

“Es un buen ejercicio ser del todo sincero consigo mismo”

Si tuviera que poner un pero, sería que me encontré con algunos errores de ortografía y habían ilustraciones que no terminé de comprender. Seguramente me falta un poco más de contexto o entender el humor del autor, Richard Appignanesi; pero sin duda quiero seguir leyendo y disfrutando las adaptaciones a ilustraciones/cómics/mangas de diferentes obras, como la de Shakespare.

“La ciencia moderna aún no ha producido un medicamento tranquilizador tan eficaz como lo son unas pocas palabras bondadosas

Para terminar, creo que este libro es muy instructivo y útil para acercarse a todo este tema de la psicología. Gocé mucho poder tener un vistazo de estos temas en mi universidad y conocer obras como esta que me ayudan a comprenderme mejor. Sin duda alguna, esto de conocernos a nosotros mismos es muy interesante.
Profile Image for Johannes Duckeck.
114 reviews2 followers
August 21, 2019
The worst Introducing book I have read so far. It is also the shortest, I believe, with more emphasis on the graphics than the text, and fewer long text sections. Oscar Zarate’s illustration are often more one the weird or grotesque side of things, but in this book it really only served to make Freud’s life seem like a long, neurotic fever dream. (Also they are very graphically sexual). The authors only succeeded if they tried to convey that Freud was as neurotic and haunted as the patients they described him having.
There is very little on his professional work in hospitals or institutions, and what is included is only used as illustrations of Freud’s ideas. His ideas are at least discussed in a somewhat logical sequence, but the illustrations did not feel adequately implemented to me.
I don’t think I learned much about Freud’s life that I didn’t know. In that way this Introducing book is much different from all the others I have read, as I have never actively sought out to study aby detail about Freud’s life. I excitedly picked up this book because of my perceived importance of his ideas in society as a whole, but I gained no insight as to whether my perception is true or not. All this book has made me think is that Freud must have been a poor, troubled lunatic, but I cannot believe that this is true.
Profile Image for Maria.
28 reviews1 follower
April 24, 2020
Μπορεί εκ πρώτης όψεως να φαίνεται ένα εύκολο βιβλίο (κυρίως λόγω της εύστοχης χιουμοριστικής εικονογράφισης), αλλά υπάρχει συμπυκνωμένο πολύ μηνύμα και γνώση.
Ο αναγνώστης πρέπει να επιμείνει για να "χωνέψει" τα νοήματα, ειδικά εάν δεν είναι εξικειωμένος με τα φροϋδικά πονήματα. Επίσης η μετάφραση στα ελληνικά από τον κο. Χίτζο και κα. Σαζαντζόγλου είναι λεπτοδουλεμένη και εξαιρετικά ποιοτική.
Profile Image for Misty.
199 reviews4 followers
January 27, 2021
Hey Freud is way problematic but that doesn’t take away from his genius. The past is never past, Faulkner supposedly said, and this is especially true within our psyche, as Freud tells us. The battle between order and chaos, talk therapy and the importance of sex are all ideas that are the cornerstone of therapy today. And from oral and anal fixations to the famous cases that illustrated his theories, Freud’s story is primed for creative and hilarious visuals. As exaggerated as the illustrations can be, it brings the stories and theories to life, showing another side to both turn-of-the-century Europe and the ancient myths that are referenced in his work. This book makes me laugh and think in equal measures, and I return to it every few years. I’ve tried other books in this series, but nothing beats this one.
Profile Image for Dimitris Hall.
385 reviews59 followers
December 16, 2010
Mixed feelings for this book. I finished it in less than 24 hours, which means I didn't give it the attention and thought it might have needed, and for that, I can't say that any of Freud's ideas stayed with me in depth. I don't know if it's the fault of the greek translation, the book's or Freud's ideas themselves. The art was interesting though, I always love stories presented in this way (even though it wasn't really comic in the sense of funny, it was more of an narrative decision).

Thanks Argyro for lending me this. :)
November 10, 2020
Freud wasn't easy, this isn't either

Introducing Freud is a sincere attempt at what the title says. The author has briefly touched upon the iconic ideas from Freud's works and seems to have done justice to them. The artwork is brilliant and the description appears to be less detailed than it should be. For a beginner, this is a nice book to know about Freud but at the same time this is less descriptive than the other books in this series. Overall, this was informative but not as easy as the title may suggest.
Profile Image for Barbara.
711 reviews24 followers
October 10, 2015
Trotz dieses zusammenfassenden Büchleins verstehe ich Freuds Theorien bzw. seine Herleitung immer noch nicht wirklich. Sie verpuffen direkt nach dem Lesen. Ob das nun dem Buch oder Freud selbst verschuldet ist, vermag ich nicht zu sagen. Die Illustrationen waren interessant, v.a. durch die teilweise Verwendung von Collagen, aber gleichzeit auch düster.
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