A case of hysteria ?
Authors
Loose, Rik
Sullivan, Gerry
Issue Date
1995
Degree
Publisher
The School of Psychotherapy at SVUH
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
In 1896 Freud proposed the theory that hysterical obsessive neurosis was caused by an actual sexual encounter between father and child. The first hint of a movement away from the seduction theory came on 8 February, 1897 in a letter to Fliess. His change of heart becomes explicit in the well-known letter to Fliess of 21 September, 1897 in which Freud presents his reasons for revising his hypothesis, although it was not until 1906 that Freud publicly renounced his seduction theory. A general dissatisfaction with Freud's stated change of heart and his reasons for repudiation of the seduction theory have led to a number of alternative explanations. We will briefly mention two and include some additional comments relevant to the paper we are presenting.