Although there has been considerable development in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis since Freud’s day, certain key concepts have retained their place and vitality within the theory. These concepts include:

• the discovery that there are large aspects of our psychological functioning, which have a profound determining effect upon us, but are largely hidden - that is, they are repressed and become unconscious
• the understanding that when human beings become involved in relationships with others they bring ‘templates’ derived from early childhood situations to those relationships and project them into the current situation - that is, they form transferences
• the recognition that sexual development is fundamental to the personality and that important aspects of this are laid down in childhood - that is, Freud discovered and provided a theoretical context for understanding childhood sexuality

Psychoanalysis has shown itself to have very broad relevance and finds a home in many diverse contexts such as literature, philosophy, politics, sociology and film studies. It has made seminal contributions to the understanding of cultural phenomena such as group functioning, institutional process, and wider socio-cultural phenomena such as paranoia and racism.