Jones begins by drawing attention to the outstanding features of Freud's achievement. First there was the loneliness of the task, and second the enormous resistance which was generated as a reaction to the insights which he had won. The opposition to Freud's discoveries was essentially different to the opposition encountered even by such figures as Copernicus and Darwin. In the case of psycho-analysis the opposition was internal and itself unconscious. It was therefore inaccessible to the usual influences which change people's attitudes and opinions.

Our attitude toward greatness is determined basically by the various attitudes which a son may have, consciously and unconsciously, towards his father. Opinions which have been expressed about Freud and his work reflect the vicissitudes of the father-son relationship. Openly negative, positive, and ambivalent feelings have been uttered by numerous writers in psychology, neurology, sociology, and literature. Examples of such opinions and their relevance to psycho-analysis are discussed.