Sigmund Freud
Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis
Viennese neurologist who developed psychoanalysis, a method and theory of the unconscious, from clinical work in the 1890s; its scientific status and the evidential value of his case histories remain disputed.
Why this person matters
Freud's ideas of unconscious conflict, repression and defence, and the talking therapy built on them, shaped twentieth-century culture and later therapies. He worked with Josef Breuer, and with followers and dissenters such as Alfred Adler and Carl Jung. Critics dispute their empirical standing.
Main contributions
Studies on Hysteria and the talking method
With Josef Breuer he published Studies on Hysteria in 1895. Breuer's patient Bertha Pappenheim, known as 'Anna O.', is credited with coining the phrase 'talking cure'.
The Interpretation of Dreams
Published in 1899 and dated 1900, it argued that the unconscious exists and treated dreams as a way of reaching it. Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality followed in 1905.
Case histories
Freud wrote up cases such as Dora, the Rat Man and Little Hans. They were influential, and they are also contested as evidence.
Context and limits
Karl Popper argued that Freud's theories could not be falsified and so were not scientific. Adolf Grünbaum disputed that charge, arguing that many hypotheses are testable, but held that clinical evidence from analytic sessions is contaminated by the analyst's suggestion. Debate also continues over whether psychoanalysis advances or hinders the feminist cause.
In your introductory course
Personality.Appears in the personality and therapy chapters as the origin of psychodynamic theory. Teaching usually pairs it with evidence-based criticism.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 1.2. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1895
Published Studies on Hysteria with Josef Breuer.
- 1900
The Interpretation of Dreams carries the date 1900, though it appeared in 1899.
- 1905
Published Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality.
- 1909
Lectured at Clark University and received an honorary doctorate.
- 1938
Left Vienna after the Nazi annexation of Austria and moved to London in June.
Sources
- New World Encyclopedia, Sigmund FreudReference work. Reference article inspected.
- Freud Museum London, Sigmund FreudArchive or museum. Institutional biography inspected.
- The New York Review of Books, Putting Freud to the Test (1985)Publisher. Text passages inspected.
- Classics in the History of Psychology (York University), Freud, The Origin and Development of Psychoanalysis (Clark lectures, contents page)Original work. Abstract inspected.
- Wikipedia, Sigmund FreudReference work. Reference article inspected.