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Now Freud I have definitely read, and (I think) a touch of Lacan too. It's worth remembering that Freud's theories were developed in the belief that the stories of childhood sexual abuse he was hearing from his clients -- neurotic Viennese ladies of society -- were fantasy. To put it mildly, it is not so clear from the modern perspective that this was an accurate assessment. Nowadays we tend to the view that the use of children by adults for sexual recreation has long been quite widespread, if unspoken.In a nutshell, Freud bottled out of the challenge that the neurotic Vienese ladies of society were telling him the truth -- that their neuroses were rooted in childhood sexual abuse within their families of origin. His theories were developed to explain why these women should be having such *fantasies*; not why grown men would behave that way towards children. Even Lacan was writing before the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse was recognised. Nowadays, I think, folk are inclined to dismiss Freud entirely, on the understandable (if logically suspect) grounds that a man of such monumental moral cowardice as Freud is unlikely to be of any help in getting to the heart of things.
Modified by Jonti at Sun, Apr 10, 2005, 08:00:14
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