The case for the Freud–Breuer theory of hysteria: A response to Grünbaum’s foundational objection to psychoanalysis

Clinical Reasoning, Grünbaum, and Freud’s “Cleverest Dreamer” Dream Interpretation

“…It shows how Grünbaum misunderstands Freud's reasoning because of his own interpretive predilections. This illustration may be considered alongside the argument I make elsewhere (Michael 2019) in relation to Freud's reasoning in Studies on Hysteria, where I show that Grünbaum's interpretation of that reasoning as an hypothetico-deductive inference (a form of inference that essentially involves deduction) 11 is unwarranted. Grünbaum's philosophical training and early career occurred at a time when the dominant philosophical views of explanation and inference were ones that emphasize deduction (Salmon 1989).…”

“…Elsewhere (Michael 2019), I have addressed Grünbaum's analysis and criticisms of the argument that Breuer and Freud make in Studies on Hysteria (1895) that unconscious thoughts can be pathogenic. I have argued in detail both that Grünbaum misconstrues Freud and Breuer's reasoning in this case and that there is a reasonable argument from the evidence the authors present to their conclusion about the pathogenicity of unconscious thoughts.…”

Unconscious Emotion and Free-Energy: A Philosophical and Neuroscientific Exploration

“…Of particular relevance is the comorbidity with psychosomatic complaints, which, as characteristic of hysteria (or conversion disorder), may be a prime example of the pathology of repression (Michael, 2018b(Michael, , 2019a 18 . Gulpek et al (2014) found that "[t]he level of alexithymia in conversion disorder patients, without any other psychiatric disorder, is higher than that of the healthy controls" (p. 300).…”