Psicologia

This dissertation aims to demonstrate, by means of an epistemological
journey through Sigmund Freud’s written texts, the way the concept of
hysteria influenced the development of the concept of fantasy. At first,
we examined the concept of hysteria as an essential component in the
process of creation of psychoanalysis, with emphasis on the immersion of Freud in the universe of hysterical patients under the influence of JeanMartin Charcot. We examine carefully to understand how much did Freud manage to transcend the ideas advocated by Charcot, and to highlight the Freudian theoretic démarche. In this sense, we analyze texts of the book Studies on Hysteria, in which we detect his efforts to clarify aspects of hysteria; we analyze also the influence of Josef Breuer, especially in respect of the use of the cathartic method. We intend to demonstrate how this method, whose scope was to investigate the genesis of symptoms, made possible Freud’s use of listening in therapy; however, Freud found out limitations of such method when conjugated to practice, and from that devised the fundamental rule of psychoanalysis – free association – by which he recorded his originality. In addition, with the publication of The Interpretation of Dreams, an essential theoretical milestone was established leading Freud to introduce his concept of fantasy by means of his first topic. From this point and from the important example of hysterical neurosis in Dora’s Case, Freud found out, through the analysis of dreams and symptoms, the underlying fantasies in the compromise formation. Thus, there was a very important theoretical development enabling Freud to associate fantasy with literature, repression, dream, delirious, desire, sexuality and finally, with hysteria, from which he could formulate the hypothesis on the essential importance of hysteria in the development and elaboration of the concept of fantasy. Therefore, the symptoms, as well as the hysterical attack, can be better described as a kind of fantasy manifested in one’s body.

Keywords: Hysteria. Fantasy. Psychoanalysis. Epistemology