 Cover of the first edition, featuring an illustration by David Levine | |
| Author | Frederick Crews, et al. |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Sigmund Freud Recovered-memory therapy |
| Publisher | The New York Review of Books |
Publication date | 1995 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 299 |
| ISBN | 978-0940322073 |
The Memory Wars: Freud's Legacy in Dispute is a 1995 book that reprints articles by the critic Frederick Crews critical of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, and recovered-memory therapy. It also reprints letters from Harold P. Blum, Marcia Cavell, Morris Eagle, Matthew Erdelyi, Allen Esterson, Robert R. Holt, James Hopkins, Lester Luborsky, David D. Olds, Mortimer Ostow, Bernard L. Pacella, Herbert S. Peyser, Charlotte Krause Prozan, Theresa Reid, James L. Rice, Jean Schimek, and Marian Tolpin.
The book had a mixed reception. The articles by Crews it reprinted, including "The Unknown Freud", have been seen as turning points in the popular reception of Freud and psychoanalysis, and some commentators credited Crews with discrediting Freud's theories and convincingly criticizing recovered-memory therapy. However, others criticized him for failing to resolve the issues he explored and questioned his understanding of repression. He has been seen as presenting some of the most extreme criticism of Freud.