16/11/2025
I think this is exactly what would happen if current me sat down to debate A-level-psychology me! Back then, Freud felt like this slightly eccentric historical figure—interesting, controversial, and often simplified into a set of neat exam-ready theories. Now, after twelve years of practising as a psychodynamic psychotherapist, my relationship with Freud’s ideas is far more nuanced, complex, and appreciative.
At A-level, we’re usually given the tidy textbook version: the structure of the personality (id, ego, superego), psychosexual stages, defence mechanisms, dream analysis, and an introduction to the unconscious mind. And although those basics are important, they barely scratch the surface of what Freud actually contributed—or how deeply those concepts can be felt in the therapy room. The classroom version tends to focus on evaluating his theories in terms of scientific credibility, testability, or cultural relevance, which is useful academically, but it doesn’t prepare you for how these ideas can come alive when you’re sitting across from someone who is trying to understand themselves.
With clinical experience, Freud becomes less of a historical figure and more of a starting point—a foundation from which the entire psychodynamic approach has evolved. His understanding of the unconscious, transference, conflict, and early relational experiences still shapes the very heart of the work, even when modern practice refines, adapts, or challenges him. Concepts that seemed abstract at 17 suddenly become visible and human: the way people defend against painful feelings, the subtle patterns that repeat across relationships, the symbolic way the past speaks through the present. You start to see how Freud wasn’t just theorising; he was trying to map the terrain of human experience at a time when no one else had dared to.
Do I agree with everything Freud wrote? Definitely no, but I have the utmost respect for his work, far more than A-level me ever would have done!
