title: Freud's psychology and its organic foundation: sexuality and mind-body interactionism.
abstract: Although Freud's neurological education had a great impact on his thinking, a review of Freud's early writings reveals that: (1) Freud adhered to a mind-body interactionist position that was not in accord with the mechanistic neurology of his medical school education; (2) Freud saw psychical processes as intentional, not completely determined by mechanical brain processes--but interactive with them; (3) Freud made functional and psychological interpretations freely without accepting a need to "neurologize" his psychological insights by providing specific neuroanatomical or neurophysiological correlates for such interpretations; and (4) Freud sought the organic base for his evolving psychology in sexual physiology, not neuroanatomy or neurophysiology.
mesh_terms: D001317:Austria; D005619:Freudian Theory; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D009445:Neuroanatomy; D009482:Neurophysiology; D011572:Psychoanalysis / Q000266:history*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology