Contemporary Perspectives on Freud's Seduction Theory and Psychotherapy : Revisiting Masson’s ‘The Assault on Truth’

This edited collection brings together the perspectives of a broad spectrum of experts who reflect on Freud’s Seduction Theory, psychoanalysis, and the reality of child abuse through the work of Jeffrey Masson. Jeffrey Masson’s The Assault on Truth: Freud’s Suppression of the Seduction Theory (1984) is arguably the most controversial book on psychoanalysis in the last century. It provoked a furore from mainstream psychoanalysis, yet was well-received by the emerging international trauma field and became a bestseller. Four decades on, a group of international scholars and professionals revisit Masson’s original work and reflect on the lessons that can be taken from the saga. Was the reaction of Masson’s peers tied to the fact that he had accused Freud of being less than heroic, or was it that he confronted psychoanalysis with a very uncomfortable truth? This book examines how The Assault on Truth came to be written, why it sparked such an extreme reaction, and the issues Masson was grappling with. Complete with an extended Foreword by John Briere, a luminary of the modern trauma field, this book will be essential reading for practitioners, students, and researchers involved in contemporary psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, psychology and especially trauma care, women’s mental health, child safety and the study of memory. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Contributors Foreword What Was the Central Message of The Assault On Truth? How Accurate Was Freud’s Seduction Theory? Why Were Many of the Reactions to The Assault On Truth So Hyperbolic? What Should We Make of Masson’s Total Rejection of Psychotherapy? Conclusions Note Introduction Comments By Richard (Rich) J. Loewenstein, M.D. Insights and Perspectives Note References 1 Background to The Assault On Truth The Truth-Teller’s “Fate?” References 2 Sándor Ferenczi, Robert Fliess, Florence Rush, and Jeffrey Masson Freud’s Seduction Theory Conclusions References 3 Child Sexual Abuse and Psychoanalytic Theory: Sigmund Freud and Sándor Ferenczi’s Childhood Seduction The Role of the Nursemaid/The “Other Mother” in Freud’s Vienna at the Fin-De-Siècle Childhood Seduction of Prominent Psychoanalysts Childhood Sexual Abuse in Freud’s Vienna Freud’s Childhood Seduction and Abandonment Trauma Sándor Ferenczi’s Childhood Sexual Experiences With “Servant Girls” Freud Abandoned the Concept of Childhood Sexual Trauma While Ferenczi Embraced It Sexual Abuse of Children in the United States in the Year 2023: Fulfilling Ferenczi’s Prophecy References 4 The Perpetuation of Deliberate and Inadvertent Insensitivities Within Psychoanalysis: Origins, Rhymes, and Reasons Contextualizing Masson A Matter of Long-Standing Concern Considerations Sequelae of Freud’s Defensiveness Sigmund Freud’s “Philosophy” as Expressed By His Choices – I Sigmund Freud’s “Philosophy” as Expressed By His Choices – II Discussion References 5 Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson Revisited: The Seduction Controversies About Reality Versus Fantasy Freud as a Love Therapist What’s Love Got to Do With It? Masson’s Critique of Psychotherapy Conclusion Notes References 6 Power, Courage, Trauma, Betrayal, and Memory: An Interview With Professor Jennifer Freyd References 7 The Memories of Millions Breaking the Silence of Sexual Abuse The U-Turn Promoting False Memories Crook V. Murphy Silencing Tactics Inflating the Membership Numbers Going After Therapists Celebrities and False Memories Our Children’s Future References 8 Another Suppression of Incest and Its Victims? Overview The 1960s and 1970s: Feminists and the “Age of Rediscovery” The 1980s: The Decade of Trauma, Dissociation, and Treatment The Influence of the Media Early Treatment Development The 1990s: Progress and Backlash The New Millennium: Where We Are Now Treatment Guidelines What Happened to Incest? Another Retraction: Denied an Abortion in the Case of Forced Pregnancy Conclusion Notes References 9 To Believe Or Not Believe: The Assault On the Truth, the Mind, and the Body So Where Are We Now? “My Avatar Therapist” – the Online Relationship “Was Is Not Is”, William Shakespeare The Wild Web – Some Implications for the Future Summary References 10 Grappling With Truth: Psychotherapy and The Assault On Truth Our Experience of Reading The Assault On Truth Freud and the History of Doubting Women Freud, Masson, and Trauma Reactions Key Implications for Psychotherapy Today The Importance of Critique and Evidence The Importance of Not Working in Silos Recognising the Impacts of Denial and Invalidation Grappling With Avoidance of Trauma and Dissociation The Necessity for Vigilance in Trauma- and Dissociation-Informed Practice Recognising Ongoing Blind Spots in Acceptance Conclusions References 11 The Assault On Truth in the Academy: Talk Therapy and the Social Control of Women Therapy in Denial Therapy as Silencing Therapy as Social Control Conclusion References 12 Has ‘The Assault On Truth’ Had Any Influence On Today’s Mental Health Services? Some Possible Biases The Assault On Truth ‘Freud at the Paris Morgue’ – 1885 (.chapter 2) ‘Freud, Fliess and Emma Eckstein’ – 1894–1900 (.chapter 3) ‘The Aetiology of Hysteria’ – 1896 (.chapter 1) ‘Freud’s Renunciation of the Theory of Seduction’ – 1897–1914 (.chapter 4) ‘The Strange Case of Ferenczi’s Last Paper’ – 1932 (.chapter 5) Mental Health Services Today Are We Still Denying Or Minimizing Child Abuse? Are We Still Using Unevidenced Bio-Genetic Ideologies? Women Conclusion References Afterword Freud and His Followers: The Man and His Ideas as a Foundation of Identity ‘Whack-a-mole’ Brave New World What Do We Take Away References Postscript: Preliminary Notes Toward a New Psychoanalysis and Facilitating Psychoanalysts’ Work With Dissociative Disorder Patients Preliminary Notes Toward a New Psychoanalysis Revisiting Ideas Long Revered But Remaining Suppositional Democratized Theorization and Theory-Free Assessment of Data The Joint Acceptance of Unwanted Realities Undoing Freud’s Mischaracterizations of Hypnosis Interpretation in a New Key Facilitating Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic Work With Dissociative Disorder Patients Summary References Index