Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex
by Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
- Free to read
- 3 hours to read
- 5 chapters
- Reading level: College-level
"Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex" by Sigmund Freud is a groundbreaking work published in 1905 that presents his revolutionary theory of human sexuality. Freud examines sexual development across three essays, exploring what he terms sexual aberrations, childhood sexuality, and the transformations of puberty. He argues that sexual urges exist from childhood and that perverse tendencies are universal rather than limited to the abnormal. The work connects sexuality to unconscious forces and neuroses, introducing concepts that would become central to psychoanalytic theory and fundamentally challenge Victorian assumptions about human nature.
Read the opening
Chapter I: The Sexual Aberrations[1]
The fact of sexual need in man and animal is expressed in biology by the assumption of a "sexual impulse." This impulse is made analogous to the impulse of taking nourishment, and to hunger. The sexual expression corresponding to hunger not being found colloquilly, science uses the expression "libido."[2]
Popular conception makes definite assumptions concerning the nature and qualities of this sexual impulse. It is supposed to be absent during childhood and to commence about the time of and in connection with the maturing process of puberty; it is supposed that it manifests itself in irresistible attractions exerted by one sex upon the other, and that its aim is sexual union or at least such actions as would lead to union.
But we have every reason to see in these assumptions a very untrustworthy picture of reality. On closer examination they are found to abound in errors, inaccuracies and hasty conclusions.
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About this edition
This free edition of Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex by Sigmund Freud comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #14969, released 2005-02-08. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Psychiatry/Psychology, Sexuality & Erotica.
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