Final answer:
Freud's belief that sexuality is at the core of emotional well-being was unconventional because it emerged from a sexually repressive culture and placed significant emphasis on childhood sexuality impacting adult personality. His psychosexual development theory remains controversial due to the lack of empirical evidence and the oddity of such a strong focus on early sexual development. Despite this, Freud's work on the unconscious mind has been foundational in the field of psychology.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sigmund Freud's theories on psychosexual development and the psychological importance of sexuality were unconventional, especially during the time he presented them. Freud believed that the unconscious mind plays a crucial role in personality development, with repressed memories and desires leading to emotional challenges. Central to his theory is the idea that childhood sexuality and the unconscious mind are primary forces shaping an individual's personality, a viewpoint stemming from the sexually repressive society of Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The core of Freud's argument was that normal, healthy sexual development was vital for emotional happiness, and problems in this area could have far-reaching psychological impacts. His concepts, such as the Oedipus/Electra complex and the fixation at various developmental stages, are seen as odd because they emphasized sexual development in early childhood as a major determinant of adult personality and emotional well-being.
Freud's approach, including the use of techniques like dream analysis and free association, dominated the field of psychology for the first half of the 20th century, despite the lack of empirical evidence supporting his psychosexual stages. Even though modern research has not found much support for Freud's stages of development, his contributions laid the groundwork for understanding the interplay between the unconscious and conscious mind in shaping behavior.