Sacks vs. Freud, Different Beliefs, Different Treatments

Sacks vs. Freud: Different Beliefs, Different Treatments Whether Oliver Sacks had a desire to cure people suffering from strange mental illnesses, or whether he was simply studying the people for his own interest in the concept of illness itself is seemingly without question in, 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat'. From the Preface, when he states, 'the sick and their sickness drives me to thoughts which, perhaps, I might otherwise not have' (…

…of the deficiency, a decision which Freud would never make. Instead, Sacks prescribes more music to strengthen P.'s inner music without which his life would come to a stop. These are two examples of the differences between Freud's type of study and beliefs, which are devoted toward always succeeding and being correct in assumption, and the beliefs of Sacks, which instead concentrate on the qualities of human life which are truly important for everyone.