Sigmund Freud's influence to psychology is very controversial because some of his theories lack of valid evidences, like "The primary influences on behavior are unconscious drives, especially sexuality and aggression." Some critics also insisted the unconscious processes he had proposed were difficult or impossible to falsify and hence retarded the development of scientific psychology (32). But to me, Sigmund Freud, as the first person who claimed the huge role subconscious plays in the psychological activity, was such a genius in the history of psychology and deserves everyone's respect.
Erich Fromm, a German social psychologist, thought western rationalism was best presented by Freud because Fromm thought what Freud did in his most of his life was to explain or try to understand the unconscious or subconscious part of our brain through conscious thought. Freud's book
I felt like that his model of Personality Structure also showed the way he explored the subconscious. Because Freud did not separate the conscious part and the unconscious part, which means if there is id, the "entirely unconscious" part, there will be ego, that "governed by reality principle" and they are somehow related and effect each other. Therefore, people's behavior is the outcome of consciousness and unconsciousness, which both need to be considered in the analysis. Psychologists can also use the consciousness to better understand the unconsciousness, and vice versa (547).
Through the part that unconsciousness occupies in the personality structure, I can see Freud value unconscious thought more than conscious thought, which Erich Fromm thought is opposite to the modern Western Culture but more like the Buddhism in Eastern culture.
After all, I think Freud is someone overpassed the psychologist in his age and his contribution to the psychology even the whole world will never be overshadowed by some of his theories that lack of scientific evidences.