Basic Trope: Freudian psychology is treated as the only type of psychology.
- Straight: Whenever psychology comes up, Freud is mentioned and only Freud. Even by professionals.
- Exaggerated: Freud is the only psychologist on the planet.
- Downplayed:
- Freud's theories are mentioned because they're the most well known, but others are acknowledged.
- All of the psychologists use a psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approach, but it is not necessarily a Freudian one.
- All psychologists are either Freudians or behaviorists, with the Freudians being mentioned slightly more often.
- Justified:
- It's set in the early days of psychology; the individual concerned knows very little about it or they just happen to be "old school".
- Psychology basically had Freud as a Never Live It Down moment because Freud was one of the most vocal psychiatrists who popularized psychology from an obscure philosophical footnote.
- Inverted: Freud is never mentioned in a psychology discussion at all, even if it might be realistic to do so.
- Subverted:
- The one who mentions Freud is called out over their lack of knowledge.
- Bob sees a psychologist who tells him that his ambitious nature is due to an innate desire to strive for status in order to express his sex drive. Bob then asks the psychologist if he got that from Freud. The psychologist says "Of course not. I am an evolutionary psychologist."
- Double Subverted:
- But the person doing the calling out is supposed to be wrong.
- But when they actually visit a psychologist, it's still Freudian.
- Parodied:
- Zig Zagged:
- They play this trope straight. Then it's pointed out the theories aren't used anymore. Then they use it again anyway.
- The story combines different types of psychology.
- All of the psychologists shown in the story are behaviorists.
- Averted:
- Although Freud is given due credit for his pioneering research, later theories are acknowledged as generally superior.
- There Are No Therapists.
- Enforced: "Just use Freud—most people aren't going to be shrinks who know better..."
- Lampshaded: "Freud? Wow, did you do an entire semester of psychology?"
- Invoked:
- A psychologist not only uses Freudian tactics on his patients, he insists it's the only way, refusing other psychological theories.
- A patient firmly believes his case could be solved by Fruedian theories. He exaggerates sad moments of his childhood and believes he is attracted to his mother despite no factual evidence supporting it.
- Exploited: A comedian visits a psychiatrist just so he can make a "Your Mum" joke.
- Defied:
- The entirety of Freud's work (and its relevance) is criticized.
- "I'm a behaviourist and I will only accept objectively measurable elements in behaviour."
- Discussed: "OK, is there anyone in this room who knows anything else about psychology except Freud's stuff?"
- Conversed: "Hey, this isn't one of those shows where All Psychology Is Freudian. There are other forms of psychology you know."
- Deconstructed:
- Freudian psychoanalysis looks like it only makes the patient worse.......
- When a psychologist tries to explain the patient's problems in purely Freudian terms, his rival proves his incompetence by explaining everything much better with the help of modern accepted theories.
- When a psychologist uses purely Freudian theory with his patients he eventually comes to realize that not all the problems of every person can be resolved through those methods, and that if he really intends to help them he´ll have to be open to modern psychology.
- Reconstructed:
- ...But the worsening look is just a part of the entire whole, that is, to bring the patient into catharsis that feels greater and brings more Character Development than ordinary biological treatment.
- "As a therapist I often apply more modern and scientific models of psychology to my patients, and I have to admit behaviourism is extremely useful, but I define myself as a Freudian because simply, it interests me."
- "Well, at least Freud did pioneer the Talking Cure, without it there would be no psychiatry as we know it, just the alternative....."
- Played for Laughs: Bob sees Alice eating a banana and assumes that she needs a man, only to discover that she's lesbian.
- Played for Drama: Alice learns about Freud's theories, starts to think that her attachment to her father is sexual and tries to get him out of her life—to her father's pain.
The link back to All Psychology Is Freudian looks kind of... long. Long and pointy. Yeah, that's it.
