Teaching Freud to undergraduates: a case report.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychoanalysis
• Education

Background:

• Sigmund Freud's theories remain controversial and intriguing.
• Undergraduates often engage with seminal texts during their academic journey.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore undergraduates' engagement with Sigmund Freud's writings.
• To analyze how Freud's psychoanalytic theories resonate with adolescent developmental tasks.

Main Methods:

• A three-year teaching experience of 'The Writings of Sigmund Freud' course.
• Analysis of student written work and classroom discussions.
• Relating student responses to adolescent developmental psychology.

Main Results:

• Students connected Freud's work to personal concerns and the search for identity.
• Freud's theories were seen as relevant to coming-of-age experiences like separation, sexuality, and autonomy.
• Students largely rejected the Oedipus complex while engaging with infantile sexuality concepts.

Conclusions:

• Sigmund Freud's writings offer a framework for understanding adolescent developmental tasks.
• Psychoanalytic theory can be a valuable tool for personal meaning-making in higher education.
• The study highlights the enduring relevance of Freud's work in contemporary contexts.