Summary: Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex by Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis and is perhaps the most significant figure in the history of psychology. He was the first to have recognized the influence of the unconscious and to have developed a theory of the structure of the mind that took it into account. Freud's ideas, including coping mechanisms, repression, denial, libido, and ego have become household terms, key elements of the modern understanding of the human experience. At the same time, we cannot explore Freud's perspective without encountering the biases, shortcomings, and historical limitations that each person of genius has worked to overcome. These limitations are clear and evident in Freud's perspective, including his extreme emphasis on sexuality as the cause of all psychological dysfunction and his perception of the feminine nature. Without his exploration and description of these elements of contemporary thought, however, a number of these perspectives would likely have persisted to this day.