Criticism of Freud

Freud, his theories, and his treatment of his patients were controversial in 19th century Vienna, and remain hotly debated today. Freud's ideas are often discussed and analyzed as works of literature and general culture in addition to continuing debate around them as scientific and medical treatises. Freud sought to explain how the unconscious operates by proposing that it has a particular structure. He proposed that the unconscious was divided into three parts: Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id (Latin, = "it" = es in the original German) represented primary process thinking - our most primitive need gratification type thoughts. The Superego represented our conscience and counteracted the Id with moral and ethical thoughts. The Ego stands in between both to balance our primitive needs and our moral/ethical beliefs. A healthy ego provides the ability to adapt to reality and interact with the outside world in a way that accommodates both Id and Superego. The general claim that the mind is not a monolithic or homogeneous thing continues to have an enormous influence on people outside of psychology. Many, however, have questioned or rejected the specific claim that the mind is divided into these three components.

Jungian analysis will work whether or not there is a genetic component to the transmission of the archetypes.

References:
Doyle, Tom. "First recognition of the significance of dreams:." World of Dreams. N.p., 12 Sept. 2003. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. http://www.smithwebdesign.com/worldofdreams/theory.html.
"Sigmund Freud." Freud - Psychologist World. Psychologist World, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2009.