Freud and the Psychoanalytic Tradition

One of the most significant legacies Sigmund Freud left behind was the method he devised for interpreting the meaning of people's lives. Freud developed a psychoanalytic mode of investigation and interpretation that relies on decoding hidden and disguised meanings. Interpretation from Freud's standpoint is always a matter of going beneath the surface, beyond the obvious, to explore a mysterious area of private imagery, symbol, and myth. Within the psychoanalytic tradition there is a motto that …

…she felt for her father. But this is where the story of Dora ends and the chapter of her illnesses closes. At this point Dora stopped therapy and choose not to return. Freud viewed Dora as a great success and failure. On one hand, he had not found her a clear resolution for her problems; on the other he had gained helpful insight that would lay down the basis to help others in the future.