Psychoanalysis and Sexual Fantasies

Psychoanalysis began as a depth psychology, heavily based on the sexual experiences and memories of patients. A long-term treatment, utilizing a free association method, psychoanalysis has provided a window onto the meanings and functions of fantasy, including sexual fantasy. Although psychoanalysis has produced some scientific research, the field has tended to rely on observational data collected from individuals studied in depth. Sex research on the other hand, carried out by investigators from different disciplines is based on empirical investigation. Each field has made contributions fundamentally important to the other. In this article, we review psychoanalytic ideas about human sexuality and distinguish those that have been invalidated by systematic research from those that remain useful. Perhaps, the single most important revision of psychoanalytic theory during the past century was concerned with the psychological development of girls and women. We separately discuss the development of the sexes, and stress the need for bridge building between psychoanalysis and sex research.