Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939) was a leading intellectual and psychologist who shaped the study of the human mind in the 20th Century. Through his controversial concept of psychoanalysis, use of hypnosis and analysis of dreams, he sought to bring light to people’s inner lives and motivations, and in doing so, he had a dramatic impact on not only psychology but also philosophy, sociology and art.

Freud’s work has seemingly prompted just as many people to call him a charlatan as call him a genius. After graduating from the University of Vienna with a medical degree in neurology, he went to Paris to study under Jean-Martin Charcot (November 29, 1825 – August 16, 1893) who specialized in the study of hysteria. What Freud saw in treating patients led him to conclude that mental disorders stemmed from psychological or emotional trauma, not physical problems or natural development.

While in Paris, Freud began using hypnosis on his patients during psychoanalysis, which led to the development of his central theory:

“That man is endowed with an unconscious, made up of repressed memories, that has strong emotional and sexual drives. These drives, some of which are born in infancy, battle one another for control and ultimately guide human behavior.”

in 1899 he published “The Interpretation of Dreams“, his most widely known work. He theorized that dreams were full of complex symbolism and were an effort by the subconscious to provide clues to human desires.

In “The Ego and The Id” (1923), Freud introduced his theory of the three competing areas of the mind:

1. The Id, which is home to the most primitive drives.
2. The Ego, which is the conscious self that interacts with reality.
3. The Superego, which recognizes and observes the restrictions imposed by societal norms.

His focus and belief in the power of the unconscious mind led Freud to think that all jokes, slips of the tongue and dreams had meaning or showed an insight into the human mind.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

1. Freud experimented with cocaine and studied it’s euphoric effects on himself and others.
2. Before devoting himself to psychology, Freud conducted zoological research and is credited with discovering testicles in eels — a small detail that had escaped earlier studies.
3. Freud came from an Austrian/Jewish family and four of his sisters died in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
4. Freud’s impact on pop culture is clearly visible in works ranging from the television show the Sopranos to the films of Woody Allen to the surrealist art of Salvador Dali.