Chapter Summary of Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality - Study Guide by Sigmund Freud

Summary

Three Essays on The Theory of Sexuality (1905) was Freud's most important and original contribution to psychology after The Interpretation of Dreams (1900). They were written simultaneously with Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious, and cover examples of normal and abnormal sexuality, provided by Freud's patients. Relating all illness - hysterical or neurotical - to sexual matters, was a revolutionary idea, which Freud supports as he discusses the aberrations and how these relate to vital childhood years, in which sexual manifestations are very important. Freud finishes with a look at how sexual instinct changes from childhood in puberty, but acknowledges that within his theory the division of responsibility between constitution (heredity) and life experiences remains unclear.