Chapter 3: Freud

03/20/23 • 55 min

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Paul and David discuss Freud's legacy in psychology and culture, why he should continue to be taught, his theories of the unconscious and psychosexual development, the oedipal conflict, the efficacy of psychoanalysis, and the unfalsifiability of his theories. (And we edited out all of the Freudian slips so nobody will ever know our deepest desires).

Previous Episode

Chapter 2: Consciousness

Paul and David tackle one of the most difficult questions when it comes to the mind--consciousness. What is it? Can a computer be conscious? What do psychologists mean when they use the term consciousness? What do we know about the psychology of time, and of dreams? And why do we try to escape consciousness?

Read the book that inspired the podcast: "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind" [amazon.com]

Email us your questions for a future episode!: [email protected]

Next Episode

Chapter 4: B.F. Skinner and Behaviorism

Slot machines, phobias and superstitions, dog training techniques, cures for insomnia... behaviorism has something to say about all of these (and much more!). The scope and ambition of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism rivals that of Freud's--except Skinner wanted nothing to do with the "mind" (or anything else he couldn't observe in a lab). How successful was this program of research? What did it get wrong? Is everything learned through mere associations and reinforcement? And where do Paul and David stand on the big debate between nativism (the idea that the mind comes equipped with knowledge) and empiricism (the idea that all knowledge comes from experience)?

Read the book that inspired the podcast: "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind" [amazon.com]

Email us with your psychology questions for a future episode!: [email protected]