Sigmund Freud

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Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud, known as the father of psychoanalysis, is recognized for his immense impact in the field of psychology. He has built a significant legacy through creating and developing the revolutionary concept of the unconscious mind. Famous works of Freud include psychosexual development, psychoanalytic theory of personality, defense mechanisms, and bioenergetic theory. Freud emphasized the necessity to satisfy intrinsic urges that are motivated by sexual and aggressive impulses while balancing out moral consciousness and reality.

Biography

Born Sigismund Schlomo Freud on May 6, 1856 in Moravia of the Austrian Empire (now known as Czech Republic), Freud and his family moved to Vienna four years later where he would spend the next 78 years of his life.

While in university, Freud worked with Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke, a professor of physiology. Brücke’s work endorsed a force called “élan vital” which is a dominant physiological energy of all life form (Anderson, 2001, p. 13). Brücke wanted to prove that “the body works according to systematic forces that can be traced physiologically” (Anderson, p. 13). Freud derived his theories from the work of Brücke however Freud shifted the focus from using physiological or physical principles of the body. Instead, Freud emphasized the dynamic integration and interaction of structures in the mind. Accordingly, all aspects of psychopathology and behavioral dysfunction operate in respect to the organization of energy forces that are naturally built inside the body (Fancher, 1973 as cited in Anderson, p.13). In later years, Freud acknowledged that Brücke, of all academic authorities, impacted his psychoanalytic theories the greatest.

Freud graduated with his M.D from the University of Vienna in 1881. In 1885, he went under the supervision of Jean Martin Charcot, a famous neurologist studying Hysteria. Here, his interest in psychopathology flourished. Later, with his mentor Josef Breuer, Freud dealt with patient Bertha Pappenheim, better known as Anna O., who presented symptoms of Hysteria. Freud hypothesized that hysteria symptoms are a result of sexual dysfunction. This incidence was one of many contributions prompting the discovery of psychoanalytic theory. The death of his father in 1896 paved way for Freud’s personal experiences with psychopathology. At this point, reflections of the relationship with his parents led to producing a concept well-known as the Oedipus Rex Complex.

From 1900 to 1939, Freud composed an abundant amount of books and manuscripts on psychoanalysis and other literature, which from the start were fired with interest, popularity, and controversy. Freud passed away from cancer on September 23, 1939 in London, England.