Psych ch 13: major criticisms of psychoanalytic theories of personality
sexism
many psychologists reject freud's theories as derogatory toward women
overemphasizes biology and unconscious forces
modern psychologists believe Freud's underestimated the role of learning and culture in shaping personality
inadequate empirical support
Freud based his theories almost exclusively on subjective case histories of adult patients. Moreover, his patience represented a small and selected sample of humanity
lack of cross-cultural support
Freudian concerts that ought to be most easily supported empirically - the biological determinants of personality- are generally not borne out by cross cultural studies
difficult to test
Most psychoanalytic concepts, such as that idea or unconscious conflicts, cannot be empirically tested