Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality

Freud frequently laments the fact that topics he considers important—such as sexual development in childhood—are misunderstood and under-researched. He also admits the shortcomings of his own investigations, due to the novelty of the field. Consider the development of sexological research in the 19th century, including the work of Krafft-Ebing, with its elaborate discussion of sexual pathologies. How does Freud build on their work? Why were Freud’s ideas and methods innovative? How did he influence his contemporaries?

Consider Freud’s attitude toward homosexuality, or inversion. On one hand, he acknowledges the important (and often accepted) role homosexual bonds played in many ancient societies, such as ancient Greece. But on the other hand, he still considers it to be a perversion and something that normal development must resist falling into. How does this ambiguity manifest itself in Freud’s thought in these essays? Is Freud’s stance as a scientifically minded empirical investigator contradicted by the important role played by normative forms of sexuality in these essays?

Freud claims that forms of sexual dysfunction such as hysteria and neuroticism are in some ways the opposite of open perversion. How does Freud characterize these different types of dysfunction? How do they differ from other forms of dysfunction, and who tends to suffer from these conditions? Why are these differences significant?

While childhood is central to Freud’s thought, he also claims that adults tend to suffer from infant amnesia—that is to say, they forget or only dimly remember their early years of life. What role does this amnesia have in the theories expounded upon in these essays? How can the limitations to research imposed by this amnesia be overcome? What is its relation to hysterical amnesia?

Discuss Freud’s descriptions of women’s sexuality and women’s sexual development. To what extent can we say that Freud is merely describing facts about late 19th-century Viennese female psychology and to what extent must we say that his ideas are misogynistic?

Freud describes childhood as a crucial stage of development in which many traits that will or at least could become important in later life—sexual desire, connections with others, even a penchant for cruelty—begin to take form. What is the relationship between these traits in childhood, and how they can manifest themselves in adults? What factors determine whether or not these traits develop in healthy or dysfunctional ways?

Describe Freud’s theory of instinct or drive, especially as he develops it across the three essays. Is instinct biological or psychological or both?

Sublimation is a mechanism that blocks or redirects the sexual instinct that Freud represents as having positive effects for civilization. How does sublimation work? How is it different from other mechanisms that divert instinct, such as repression or displacement?