The myth of man's fall and the basic rule for psychoanalytic therapy discovered by sigmund freud: Free association—a program against hubris

Abstract

Siirala M. The of Man's Fall and the Basic Rule for Psychoanalytic Therapy Discovered by Sigmund Freud: Free Association-A Program against Hubris. Int Forum Psychoanal 1997;6:33-39. Stockholm, ISSN 0803-706X.

The title contains the thesis of the paper. Hubris is here: the godlike position of knowing good and evid. The mythical story about man's self-estrangement, as it is told in the biblical canon about three thousand years ago, depicts more a rise than a fall, as it entails a seizure of the throne of the one and absolute “Thou”. On good grounds that myth can be regarded as a particularly universal instance of man's self- and existence interpretation. In any case it seems obvious that the basic rule, as it implies giving voting right to everything announcing itself in man, even and especially to all that is defying his “already-knowing”, his open or latent judgements, is of crucial value on his way towards an authentic wholeness as a person. Consequences for the conception of not only therapeutic knowledge but knowledge in general, are discussed. How the myth of man's fall throws essential light upon deep depression, especially as met in psychoanalytic therapy, is demonstrated by means of two case histories.