Practice question · Multiple choice
A critic notes that Freudian theory can explain a patient who is aggressive (the id breaking through) and equally explain one who is unusually gentle (reaction formation against aggression). Why is being able to explain both outcomes a weakness rather than a strength?
Hints
- Ask what observation, even in principle, the theory would have trouble with.
- A theory earns credit for the predictions it risks, not the ones it accommodates afterwards.
Show the answer
A. Because a theory that accommodates everything forbids nothing.
Why
The strength of a scientific claim lies in what it forbids, and a framework with a ready account of aggression and gentleness never puts itself at risk, so confirming instances tell you nothing, being guaranteed in advance. It does not show Freud was wrong about the unconscious; it shows the theory was framed so evidence could not reach it.
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