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Deviant Love
Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis, remade our view of the human mind by exploring the unconscious forces that drive us. This collection of his groundbreaking writings on the psychology of love examines the nature of desire, transgression, fantasy and erotic taboo.
102 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
17 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Sigmund Freud
4,454 books8,530 followersDr. Sigismund Freud (later changed to Sigmund) was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, who created an entirely new approach to the understanding of the human personality. He is regarded as one of the most influential—and controversial—minds of the 20th century.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
In 1873, Freud began to study medicine at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he worked at the Vienna General Hospital. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. In 1885, Freud went to Paris as a student of the neurologist Jean Charcot. On his return to Vienna the following year, Freud set up in private practice, specialising in nervous and brain disorders. The same year he married Martha Bernays, with whom he had six children.
Freud developed the theory that humans have an unconscious in which sexual and aggressive impulses are in perpetual conflict for supremacy with the defences against them. In 1897, he began an intensive analysis of himself. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences.
In 1902, Freud was appointed Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Vienna, a post he held until 1938. Although the medical establishment disagreed with many of his theories, a group of pupils and followers began to gather around Freud. In 1910, the International Psychoanalytic Association was founded with Carl Jung, a close associate of Freud's, as the president. Jung later broke with Freud and developed his own theories.
After World War One, Freud spent less time in clinical observation and concentrated on the application of his theories to history, art, literature and anthropology. In 1923, he published 'The Ego and the Id', which suggested a new structural model of the mind, divided into the 'id, the 'ego' and the 'superego'.
In 1933, the Nazis publicly burnt a number of Freud's books. In 1938, shortly after the Nazis annexed Austria, Freud left Vienna for London with his wife and daughter Anna.
Freud had been diagnosed with cancer of the jaw in 1923, and underwent more than 30 operations. He died of cancer on 23 September 1939.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 4, 2017
While the book presents some interesting cultural references and observations, for the most part this book feels really dated.
September 19, 2012
Well communicated treatise on the cause of sexual 'deviations' but, in my personal opinion, limited in its scope and incredibly dated in its representation of the female and the development of feminine sexuality.
April 15, 2024
I hope to god that psychology has advanced since this was written. It’s interesting but…….. this can’t be it
May 3, 2012
Seriously? Freud was one messed up man! Interesting to read about these phenomena we have now incorporated into common parlance (sounds so pretentious but do you have a better way to say that?), but it's all just so wrong. I did think he had a very nice, non-judgemental view of homosexuality, but the section on the sexuality of women - wtf!
June 11, 2012
Oh Freud, what are you like?
October 25, 2022
Strange and intriguing. Mildly concerning.
January 18, 2024
Just finished this book, which has taken much of my time, and it has imbued me with a keen sense of the psychoanalytic theory and a much broader understanding of the psychosexual stages of development and the complexes ( oedipus and elektra), it does a good job explaining the castration and penis envy to perfection as a psychologist in training this is an integral work in understanding the politics of the mind.
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December 5, 2024Não tanto sobre amor quanto sobre sexualidade e object-choice. Mas amei amei amei sinto um deepdive futuro em Freud oh dear Lord please help me. Quero ler Totem e Tabu. As partes que mais brilharam aqui, pra mim, foram as que descreviam (maravilhosamente) algo de primitivo (primal) no ser humano. Gosto disso.
Also: amo ver de primeira mão o quão freudiana a Paglia é. Que divertido — beber da fonte da minha fonte.
Also: amo ver de primeira mão o quão freudiana a Paglia é. Que divertido — beber da fonte da minha fonte.
September 14, 2015
Like witch trials were ludicrous to modern criminal law, Freud's ideas seem archaic and fully revolve around the oedipus complex and penis-envy. Though Freud does touch on a few points that seem to scratch the truth of the matter as we now know in modern psychology, he frequently makes assumptions that seem to bring his own personal bias into the study. I can see why many love to hate Freud, interesting read nonetheless though.
May 1, 2019
Oh Freud. This little collection of papers taught me a couple of things about Freud I didn't know: (1) he's quite open to (male) homosexuality and (2) he's so very explicitly and extremely sexist. I find it really surprising that he can keep an open mind to one without the other. A quick search doesn't reveal he had any homosexual tendencies either. Strange.
December 26, 2023
Sigmund Freud. Read this book wanting to know what his takes on sexuality are and cause the book was free lol, and HE THINKS WOMEN ARE JEALOUS OF MEN'S PENISES? I SORRY BUT WHAT? he thinks women have a thing called "penis envy" WHAT EVEN okay okay lemme just... Fuh alright uh... Whatever man, he has some valid takes and some weird ones....
Some takes he writes on :
- Freud believed that women experienced a sense of "penis envy," suggesting that they felt inferior due to the lack of a penis and looked for ways to compensate for this perceived deficiency. He suggested that this feeling of inferiority shaped women's psyches and influenced their development and behavior.
- He proposed the concept of the "Oedipus complex" for boys, which suggests that young boys have subconscious desires for their mothers and see their fathers as rivals. For girls, he proposed the "Electra complex," suggesting that girls also experience desire for their fathers and experience envy of their mother's relationship with their father.
- Homosexuality. Initially considered to be a deviancy from normal sexual development, but later on he changes his mind and says it is natural. That it is a variation from the sexual spectrum.
- Sadism and Masochism. In Freud's early theories, he regarded sadism and masochism as psychosexual disorders, attributing these tendencies to childhood experiences or unresolved conflicts within the individual's psyche, probably related to trauma. Then changes his mind that sadism and masochism exists at least a little bit in everyone and that it is also a normal thing.
- Fetishes. That they stem from childhood experiences or conflicts. He suggested that a fetish could represent a displacement of sexual desire onto an object or body part, often as a means of resolving unresolved conflicts or anxieties. That Fetishes basically form due to subconscious associations in a person early life stages.
- Oral Sex, Breast Suckling. Freud proposed that during infancy, the primary focus of pleasure and satisfaction is centered on the mouth, like breastfeeding or sucking. So he thinks that unresolved issues or conflicts during this oral stage of development, potentially lead to oral-fixated behaviors in adulthood, not just in sex but also in things like smoking, overeating, or excessive talking.
A lot of his takes have taken criticism, saying they are simply inaccurate or outdated. Lack of empirical evidence. Study cases with too small a sample size etc.
This book was intriguing, but I did not like it lol. Penis envy? PLEAASe. Freud I am fine not having a dick 😭
Some takes he writes on :
- Freud believed that women experienced a sense of "penis envy," suggesting that they felt inferior due to the lack of a penis and looked for ways to compensate for this perceived deficiency. He suggested that this feeling of inferiority shaped women's psyches and influenced their development and behavior.
- He proposed the concept of the "Oedipus complex" for boys, which suggests that young boys have subconscious desires for their mothers and see their fathers as rivals. For girls, he proposed the "Electra complex," suggesting that girls also experience desire for their fathers and experience envy of their mother's relationship with their father.
- Homosexuality. Initially considered to be a deviancy from normal sexual development, but later on he changes his mind and says it is natural. That it is a variation from the sexual spectrum.
- Sadism and Masochism. In Freud's early theories, he regarded sadism and masochism as psychosexual disorders, attributing these tendencies to childhood experiences or unresolved conflicts within the individual's psyche, probably related to trauma. Then changes his mind that sadism and masochism exists at least a little bit in everyone and that it is also a normal thing.
- Fetishes. That they stem from childhood experiences or conflicts. He suggested that a fetish could represent a displacement of sexual desire onto an object or body part, often as a means of resolving unresolved conflicts or anxieties. That Fetishes basically form due to subconscious associations in a person early life stages.
- Oral Sex, Breast Suckling. Freud proposed that during infancy, the primary focus of pleasure and satisfaction is centered on the mouth, like breastfeeding or sucking. So he thinks that unresolved issues or conflicts during this oral stage of development, potentially lead to oral-fixated behaviors in adulthood, not just in sex but also in things like smoking, overeating, or excessive talking.
A lot of his takes have taken criticism, saying they are simply inaccurate or outdated. Lack of empirical evidence. Study cases with too small a sample size etc.
This book was intriguing, but I did not like it lol. Penis envy? PLEAASe. Freud I am fine not having a dick 😭
November 18, 2022
Baffling, outdated and rather unhinged, but what do you expect from Freud? His 'insights' into sexual deviancy are interesting enough from a historical point of view - his ideas on homosexuality are surprisingly liberal (though still offensively worded) considering the century - but the section on virginity and female sexuality are just mad. In short, women are baffling, unknowable creatures who are considered hysterical if they don't want to have sex with their husbands, and live with literal penis envy their entire lives (rather than envying men's societal standing, power and acceptance). Oh and it's distressing for a man to see a woman's reaction to the pain of losing her virginity, because it can feel like a rejection. Fucking nuts.
April 6, 2025
Let’s put it this way: I understand why Freud is infamous as he is and I’d say that’s well deserved.
2.5
This little book was not particularly fun or good, but I think it was a comprehensive introduction to some of Freud's most known ideas. Maybe morbidly interesting would be the term I'd use?
Parts of this were fascinating to read because they showed how strangely ‘academics’ thought and reasoned over 100 years ago. Other times the formality of the academic language contrasting with the awfully dated ideas of the actual content was plain funny.
2.5
This little book was not particularly fun or good, but I think it was a comprehensive introduction to some of Freud's most known ideas. Maybe morbidly interesting would be the term I'd use?
Parts of this were fascinating to read because they showed how strangely ‘academics’ thought and reasoned over 100 years ago. Other times the formality of the academic language contrasting with the awfully dated ideas of the actual content was plain funny.
August 31, 2022
I remember learning about Freud when I was doing Psychology in college and thinking even then that what he was saying was a bit weird.
So I went into this knowing that it was going to come across as very odd, and sure enough it did. It’s quite outdated in a lot of places, and there are a few points that I would fistfight Freud over, but it is interesting to see how a text of this sort was written and the ideas that went into it with the knowledge that it is definitely a product of its time.
So I went into this knowing that it was going to come across as very odd, and sure enough it did. It’s quite outdated in a lot of places, and there are a few points that I would fistfight Freud over, but it is interesting to see how a text of this sort was written and the ideas that went into it with the knowledge that it is definitely a product of its time.
July 16, 2025
freud really hated women and wanted to fuck his mother so much he invented a whole scientific theory to justify it as normal development (also it’s so clear he never had an actual conversation with a woman)
October 16, 2019
What I learned from this book - Oral sex is a perversion? LOL, okay then...
Sorry but his ideas on sexuality are weird, personally his work on dreams is better.
Sorry but his ideas on sexuality are weird, personally his work on dreams is better.
September 26, 2023
A bizarre read. Not sure if I agree with many of Freud’s theories presented here, but I really enjoyed his style of analysis.
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September 27, 2023Freud and I have beef.
December 28, 2025
Get a load of this guy
January 12, 2014
An interesting read with many ideas that make the reader assess the basis of sexuality. The section on 'Sexual Deviations' was probably the most fascinating, although the chapter on 'The Virginity Taboo' was also quite enlightening. The least coherent chapter seemed to be 'On Female Sexuality', since much emphasis was at first put on the end attachment to the father but was rarely mentioned in subsequent detail.
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April 20, 2014this book introduced a different approach to understand some of the sexual behaviors of the human being. Even though the jargon is quite difficult to understand, I had definitely enjoyed the way to analyse psychologically some sexual behaviors.
August 16, 2012
Freak reality.
September 15, 2012
While Freud's theories do provide fundamental foundation for modern psychology, his specific observations and micro-theories are outdated and narrow-minded.
January 17, 2014
Hmmm... first book I've read on Freud. Seemed a bit dated however there were some interesting cultural references.
August 23, 2013
Weird, wonderful, interesting, at times hilarious.
August 29, 2014
Was expecting more from this and was lacking in something.
November 10, 2012
its funny reading this on the subway... the cover is SO UNSUBTLE.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews