But why insistently Sigmund Freud?

If you are looking for a psychology book in Azerbaijani, you will mostly find translations of Freud's works in bookstores, even though there are many other well-known global examples representing psychology. Imagine someone studying psychology, searching for a scientific book related to their profession, and among the options in our native language, the main choices are Freud, Freud, and yet again Freud. Why should we start learning a science with the most philosophical or, from another point of view, specific books? What if a reader tends to be a proponent of another approach than Freud's? What if a reader does not have enough background knowledge to understand Freud's conceptions... Why it is (available literature) mainly and consistently about Freud?

When starting to study any science, one should first focus on the general and only then on specific (or concrete) topics. If it were otherwise, we would first pursue a master’s degree to specialize in a profession and only later turn to undergraduate education for general basic knowledge about our field.

I hope I won't be stoned for this. However, I must point out that the main content of Sigmund Freud's perhaps most notable book, Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, consists of only a few pages.

S. Freud by Fulya Fu

The information presented in the book just instills an idea (theory). The main idea covers only a few pages, and the rest of the book is dedicated to instilling that idea through examples and other various ways.

I guess the book is simply a collection of Freud's lectures (the title of the book in Azerbaijani translations is given as "Introduction to Psychoanalysis"). Considering this, it is important to note that Freud's ideas were not easily accepted by society or the audiences of his lectures at the time. When reading the book, it is evident that Freud tried to present his ideas very carefully and gradually to avoid unwarranted criticism. Therefore, I believe that the reason this book is considered a bestseller for psychology students today is simply due to the belief that "it is an important book."

Since these ideas are no longer received with such controversy today (especially by those studying psychology), if you do not intend to specialize solely in psychoanalysis, reading just those few pages with the ideas in any short article would be sufficient.

No, if you are set on reading a book of over 300 pages, opt for theoretical books in Russian, Turkish, or English. Popular books are intended for a broad audience and do not delve into scientific details and depths. For example, Allan Pease's The Body Language—published in various formats and repeatedly reissued as a bestseller—provides information that is not false but incomplete. This is why it is insufficient for professional use, and judging human behavior based solely on the book’s approach is not considered professional. Psychologists do not evaluate situations or human behavior based on such books. When reading these kinds of books for interest, keep in mind that they are more like movie trailers; the underlying information can be deeper and, for you, perhaps more "boring."

What to do?

If you are seriously interested in psychology, as unpleasant as it may sound, knowing a foreign language is one of the most important requirements. Psychology did not originate in the Azerbaijani language, nor is it developing in it. We began studying this science from a distance and have remained distant from it. Even when we started, we were relatively closer because a large part of the population knew Russian when we were part of the USSR. The new generation not only has limited knowledge of Russian but also lacks proficiency in using another language for scientific purposes. I feel it is my duty to point this out because, if we do not learn languages, we may become the generation that puts an end to this science in our country.

You should start reading in a foreign language with encyclopedias or general theoretical books on psychology. This way, you will more quickly determine the area or direction that interests you, and only after that will reading more complex, in-depth, classic, or modern books, like those by Freud and others, become most productive. Otherwise, you would have to deeply study every area of psychology and each of its aspects. It is not as small a field as it might seem, and you won’t achieve your goals by reading just a few books. Therefore, using foreign sources based on the principle of "from general to specific" is the most beneficial approach.

The article was originally written in Azerbaijani in 2018, for the website coaching.az.