21 September 2021

No Individual Should Be Shunned for Something Out of Their Control

Sigmund Freud was one of the few professionals who viewed hysterical patients with genuine concern. He delivered a series of lectures at Clark University discussing this topic (Freud 2197). In his first lecture, Freud discusses the admirable work of Dr. Josef Breuer in contrast with the negligent work of general doctors when treating hysterical patients. In addition to Freud’s first lecture, works such as “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, demonstrate the condescending relationship doctors had with hysterical patients. Therefore, Freud’s criticism is that because of a lack of understanding, most doctors become frustrated with hysterical patients, disregarding such cases as unimportant; the frustration and ignorance doctors experience when dealing with hysterical patients can be supported through the patronizing relationship between the narrator and her husband in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, while Breuer’s understanding and empathetic nature towards hysterical patients provides a striking contrast.

Countless doctors claimed Freud’s theory of hysteria as preposterous. They could not comprehend a patient who displayed no physical ailments. This ignorance blinded doctors, causing them to view hysterical patients as unimportant. In his lecture, Freud states, “It is noticeable that his attitude towards hysterical patients is quite other than towards sufferers from organic diseases. He does not have the same sympathy for the former as for the latter: for the hysteric’s ailment is in fact far less serious…” (2201) Here, Freud emphasizes how by refusing to understand hysterical patients, frustrated doctors only valued patients who suffered from physical injuries, as they were easy to recognize and empathize with. Breuer, however, passionately treated hysterical patients, despite the challenges their cases may present. “Dr. Breuer’s attitude towards his patient deserved no such reproach,” Freud states, “He gave her both sympathy and interest, even though, to begin with, he did not know how to help her… his benevolent scrutiny showed him the means of bringing her a first instalment of help” (2202). Breuer’s commitment to assist his patient demonstrates how his caring and empathetic nature allowed him to successfully treat his patient. Though Freud acknowledges Breuer’s commendable work, his criticism of most doctors remains evident in other works regarding mental illness.

The patronizing relationship between the narrator and her husband, who is a physician, illustrates Freud’s criticism. Though the narrator’s husband, John, gives the illusion of a caring partner, he ignores his wife’s condition as something insignificant. The narrator writes, “He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me” (Gilman 652). By putting the responsibility of curing the illness on his wife, John removes himself from the equation as he finds no need to put his medical knowledge into practice; his wife’s illness is a humorous issue. Along with belittling his wife’s illness, John robs her of her autonomy by referring to her by an undignified term as she tries to discuss her illness. As the narrator is speaking, John states, “‘You know the place is doing you good,’ he said, ‘and really, dear, I don’t care to renovate the house just for a three months’ rental.’ ‘Then do let us go downstairs,’ I said, ‘there are such pretty rooms there.’ Then he took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose…” (Gilman 649) By referring to the narrator as a blessed little goose, John not only undermines his wife’s discomforts, but strips her of her dignity. The person the narrator looks to for guidance, her husband, her doctor, obliterates her value as a human and undermines her condition as unimportant.

Freud’s criticism that because of a lack of understanding, most doctors become frustrated with hysterical patients, disregarding such cases as unimportant, can be supported by the patronizing relationship between the narrator and her husband in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”. However, Breuer’s empathetic nature towards hysterical patients provides a striking contrast and is one of Freud’s few exceptions. Unfortunately, there are doctors who continue to treat patients who suffer from mental illness with contempt due to ignorance. It is imperative that such doctors are properly trained for the betterment of society. No individual should be shunned for something out of their control.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.