All Psychology Is Freudian/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: Freudian psychology is treated as the only type of psychology.

  • Straight: Whenever psychology comes up, Freud is mentioned and only Freud. Even by professionals.
  • Exaggerated: All psychologists are Freud.
  • Downplayed: Freud's theories are mentioned because they're the most well known, but others are acknowledged.
  • Justified:
    • It's set in the early days of psychology; the individual concerned knows very little about it or they just happen to be "old school".
    • Psychology basically had Freud as a Never Live It Down moment because Freud was one of the most vocal psychiatrists who popularized psychology from an obscure philosophical footnote.
  • Inverted: Freud is never mentioned in a psychology discussion at all, even if it might be realistic to do so.
  • Subverted: The one who mentions Freud is called out over their lack of knowledge.
  • Double Subverted: ...but when they actually visit a psychologist, it's still Freudian.
  • Parodied: The characters see all tall, thin objects as phallic symbols, and treat them accordingly.
  • Deconstructed:
    • Freudian psychoanalysis looks like it only makes the patient worse.......
    • When a psychologist tries to explain the patient's problems in purely Freudian terms, his rival proves his incompetence by explaining everything much better with the help of modern accepted theories.
  • Reconstructed:
    • ....But the worsening look is just a part of the entire whole, that is, to bring the patient into catharsis that feels greater and brings more Character Development than ordinary biological treatment.
    • "As a therapist I often apply more modern and scientific models of psychology to my patients, and I have to admit behaviourism is extremely useful, but I define myself as a Freudian because simply, it interests me."
    • "Well, at least Freud did pioneer the Talking Cure, without it there would be no psychiatry as we know it, just the alternative....."
  • Zig Zagged: They play this trope straight. Then it's pointed out the theories aren't used anymore. Then they use it again anyway.
  • Averted:
  • Enforced: "Just use Freud - most people aren't going to be shrinks who know better..."
  • Lampshaded: "Freud? Wow, did you do an entire semester of psychology?"
  • Defied:
    • The entirety of Freud's work (and its relevance) is criticized.
    • "I'm a behaviourist and I will only accept objectively measurable elements in behaviour."
  • Discussed: "OK, is there anyone in this room who knows anything else about psychology except Freud's stuff?"
  • Conversed: "Hey, this isn't one of those shows where All Psychology Is Freudian. There are other forms of psychology you know."
  • Exploited: A comedian visits a psychiatrist just so he can make a "Your Mum" joke.
  • Played for Laughs: The entire schoolBob sees Alice eating a banana and assumes that she needs a man, only to discover that she's lesbian.
  • Played for Drama: Alice learns about Freud's theories, starts to think that her attachment to her father is sexual and tries to get him out of her life -- to her father's pain.

The link back to All Psychology Is Freudian looks kind of. . .long. Long and pointy. Yeah, that's it.

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