Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who is perhaps most known as the founder of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a set of therapeutic techniques centered on talk therapy that involved the use of strategies such as transference, free association, and dream interpretation.
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What technique did Sigmund Freud use to treat his patients?
Psychoanalytic therapy is a form of talk therapy based on Sigmund Freud's theories of psychoanalysis. The approach explores how the unconscious mind influences your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
How did Sigmund Freud's treatment of psychological disorders?
In treating patients whose disorders had no clear physical explanation, Freud concluded that these problems reflected unacceptable thoughts and feelings, hidden away in the unconscious mind. To explore this hidden part of a patient's mind, Freud used free association and dream analysis.
How did Freud help patients?
Freud began to receive referrals from other physicians to treat their most challenging patients -- "hysterics" who did not improve with treatment. Freud used hypnosis with these patients and encouraged them to talk about past events in their lives.
How did Sigmund Freud's treatment of psychological disorders quizlet?
How did Sigmund Freud's treatment of psychological disorders lead to his view of the unconscious mind? In treating patients whose disorders had no clear physical explanation, Freud concluded that these problems reflected unacceptable thoughts and feelings, hidden away in the unconscious mind.
How does psychoanalysis therapy work?
Psychoanalysts help clients tap into their unconscious mind to recover repressed emotions and deep-seated, sometimes forgotten experiences. By gaining a better understanding of their subconscious mind, patients acquire insight into the internal motivators that drive their thoughts and behaviors.
How did Freud treat hysteria?
According to Breuer, the treatment process should include hypnosis and cathartic. Freud appreciated the method of hypnosis and cathartic techniques as tools for understanding hysteria. However, he asserts that although cathartic session heals some of the symptoms, this treatment is temporary.
How did Freud view mental illness?
According to Freud's theory, mental illness arises when the ego is incapable of maintaining control of the id and superego, when their impulses are too strong. Freud believed this imbalance was often caused by early childhood trauma.
Which technique was initially used in the treatment of hysteria?
Suggestion and hypnosis Hippolyte Bernheim, a rival of Charcot's, was convinced that hysteria was the product of suggestion and could be treated through hypnosis.
What did Freud's patients do?
These patients helped shape his theories and many have become well known in their own right. Some of these individuals included.
How did Freud's ideas impact psychology?
Freud's ideas had such a strong impact on psychology that an entire school of thought emerged from his work. While it was eventually replaced by behaviorism, psychoanalysis had a lasting impact on both psychology and psychotherapy.
What is the most influential thinker of the twentieth century?
Psychology's most famous figure is also one of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the twentieth century. Sigmund Freud's theories and work helped shape our views of childhood, personality, memory, sexuality, and therapy. Other major thinkers have contributed work that grew out of Freud's legacy, ...
Why was Freud criticized?
Both during his life and after, Freud was criticized for his views of women, femininity, and female sexuality. One of his most famous critics was another psychologist named Karen Horney, who rejected his view that women suffered from "penis envy.". She instead argued that men experience "womb envy" and are left with feelings ...
How to understand Freud's legacy?
In order to understand his legacy, it is important to begin with a look at his life. His experiences informed many of his theories, so learning more about his life and the times he lived in can lead to a deeper understanding of where his theories came from.
What are Freud's theories?
Freud's theories were enormously influential , but subject to considerable criticism both now and during his own life. However, his ideas have become interwoven into the fabric of our culture, with terms such as " Freudian slip ," "repression," and "denial" appearing regularly in everyday language.
What is Freud's personal favorite?
Freud's writings detail many of his major theories and ideas, including his personal favorite, "The Interpretation of Dreams .". " [It] contains...the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime," he explained. 3.
What did Freud use to develop his theories?
Freud developed a set of therapeutic techniques centered on talk therapy that involved the use of strategies such as transference, free association, and dream interpretation. Psychoanalysis became a dominating school of thought during the early years of psychology and remains quite influential today.
What did Freud's theory of psychology support?
His work supported the belief that not all mental illnesses have physiological causes, and he also recognized that cultural differences have an impact on psychology and behavior. 5
What did Freud learn from his mentor?
1 Later, Freud and his friend and mentor Dr. Josef Breuer introduced him to the case study of a patient known as Anna O., who was really a woman named Bertha Pappenheim. Her symptoms included a nervous cough, tactile anesthesia, and paralysis. 2 Over the course of her treatment, the woman recalled several traumatic experiences, which Freud and Breuer believed contributed to her illness.
What are Freud's ideas?
In addition to his influence on psychology, Freud's ideas have permeated popular culture and concepts such as Freudian slips, the unconscious, wish fulfillment, and the ego are even commonly used in everyday language.
Where did Freud live?
Freud's Life and Career. When he was young, Sigmund Freud’s family moved from Frieberg, Moravia, to Vienna, where he would spend most of his life. His parents taught him at home before entering him in Spurling Gymnasium, where he was first in his class and graduated summa cum laude . After studying medicine at the University of Vienna, ...
Who was the most influential psychologist of the 20th century?
In a review of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, Sigmund Freud was ranked at number three (behind B.F. Skinner and Jean Piaget ). 4.
Who published studies in hysteria?
The two physicians concluded that there was no organic cause for Anna O's difficulties, but that having her talk about her experiences had a calming effect on the symptoms. Freud and Breuer published the work Studies in Hysteria in 1895. It was Bertha Pappenheim herself who referred to the treatment as "the talking cure." 2
Who is Sigmund Freud?
Sigmund Freud ( / frɔɪd / FROYD; German: [ˈziːk.mʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt]; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.
How did Freud use hypnosis?
Once he had set up in private practice back in Vienna in 1886, Freud began using hypnosis in his clinical work. He adopted the approach of his friend and collaborator, Josef Breuer, in a type of hypnosis that was different from the French methods he had studied, in that it did not use suggestion. The treatment of one particular patient of Breuer's proved to be transformative for Freud's clinical practice. Described as Anna O., she was invited to talk about her symptoms while under hypnosis (she would coin the phrase " talking cure " for her treatment). In the course of talking in this way, her symptoms became reduced in severity as she retrieved memories of traumatic incidents associated with their onset.
Why did Freud have Fliess perform surgery on his nose?
Freud had Fliess repeatedly operate on his nose and sinuses to treat "nasal reflex neurosis", and subsequently referred his patient Emma Eckstein to him. According to Freud, her history of symptoms included severe leg pains with consequent restricted mobility, as well as stomach and menstrual pains. These pains were, according to Fliess's theories, caused by habitual masturbation which, as the tissue of the nose and genitalia were linked, was curable by removal of part of the middle turbinate. Fliess's surgery proved disastrous, resulting in profuse, recurrent nasal bleeding; he had left a half-metre of gauze in Eckstein's nasal cavity whose subsequent removal left her permanently disfigured. At first, though aware of Fliess's culpability and regarding the remedial surgery in horror, Freud could bring himself only to intimate delicately in his correspondence with Fliess the nature of his disastrous role, and in subsequent letters maintained a tactful silence on the matter or else returned to the face-saving topic of Eckstein's hysteria. Freud ultimately, in light of Eckstein's history of adolescent self-cutting and irregular nasal (and menstrual) bleeding, concluded that Fliess was "completely without blame", as Eckstein's post-operative haemorrhages were hysterical "wish-bleedings" linked to "an old wish to be loved in her illness" and triggered as a means of "rearousing [Freud's] affection". Eckstein nonetheless continued her analysis with Freud. She was restored to full mobility and went on to practice psychoanalysis herself.
What was Freud's diagnosis of cancer?
In February 1923, Freud detected a leukoplakia, a benign growth associated with heavy smoking, on his mouth. He initially kept this secret, but in April 1923 he informed Ernest Jones, telling him that the growth had been removed. Freud consulted the dermatologist Maximilian Steiner, who advised him to quit smoking but lied about the growth's seriousness, minimizing its importance. Freud later saw Felix Deutsch, who saw that the growth was cancerous; he identified it to Freud using the euphemism "a bad leukoplakia" instead of the technical diagnosis epithelioma. Deutsch advised Freud to stop smoking and have the growth excised. Freud was treated by Marcus Hajek, a rhinologist whose competence he had previously questioned. Hajek performed an unnecessary cosmetic surgery in his clinic's outpatient department. Freud bled during and after the operation, and may narrowly have escaped death. Freud subsequently saw Deutsch again. Deutsch saw that further surgery would be required, but did not tell Freud he had cancer because he was worried that Freud might wish to commit suicide.
How many children did Jakob Freud have?
Jakob Freud took his wife and two children (Freud's sister, Anna, was born in 1858; a brother, Julius born in 1857, had died in infancy) firstly to Leipzig and then in 1860 to Vienna where four sisters and a brother were born: Rosa (b. 1860), Marie (b. 1861), Adolfine (b. 1862), Paula (b. 1864), Alexander (b. 1866).
What is Freud's theory of libido?
Freud postulated the existence of libido, sexualised energy with which mental processes and structures are invested and which generates erotic attachments, and a death drive, the source of compulsive repetition, hate, aggression, and neurotic guilt.
When did Freud publish his interpretation of dreams?
In 1899 he published The Interpretation of Dreams in which, following a critical review of existing theory, Freud gives detailed interpretations of his own and his patients' dreams in terms of wish-fulfillments made subject to the repression and censorship of the "dream-work".
What did Freud study?
In point of fact, Freud was a medical doctor whose specialty was neurology. He was fascinated by work in the laboratory where he studied the nervous system and drew incredibly complex diagrams of neurons in the brain.
What was Freud's contribution to mental health?
One of Freud's major contributions to mental health was the discovery that patient improve when they talk to a therapist. He developed a particular technique for talking that was part of psychoanalysis named free association.
Why is Freud talking?
The major point here is the fact that talking helps, particularly when the therapist is both listening and involved with the patient. Unlike the stereotyped of the psychoanalyst who listens and takes notes while saying nothing, Freud was active and involved in the sessions as his patients talked. If he remained objective it did not mean that he was silent. Most studies today show that therapists who are involved, interactive and empathic are most beneficial to their patients' recovery of health. In addition, most studies today show that it is a combination of anti depressant medications and psychotherapy that help most.
What did Freud discover about childhood trauma?
1. Childhood Trauma: Freud and his brilliant medical colleague, Hans Breuer, examined these paralyzed and ill young women. In intensively collecting background information they discovered a common denominator in all of their lives: they had suffered severe and repeated trauma as young teenagers and adolescents.
Why is Freud important?
It is important to remember that Freud gave us new ways of thinking about children, trauma, human development and personality. We have now moved beyond Freud in learning about the human brain and human behavior.
Why are medications used for mental health?
In the area of the more prevalent mental disorders, medications are used to relieve depression and anxiety experienced by millions of people around the world. Among those millions are individuals who, at an earlier time, would have been at great risk for committing suicide in order to escape their suffering.
What did Freud notice about women?
It was in his private practice and at the hospital that Freud began to notice that many female patients were coming for medical help for symptoms that appeared to have no physical basis. Among these were various types of maladies such as paralysis so severe that it kept many women confined to home, wheel chair or bed.
What did Freud do after completing his medical degree?
After completing his medical degree in 1881, Freud began a three-year internship at a Vienna hospital, while continuing to work at the university on research projects.
Where did Freud work?
Freud eventually found a position at a private children's hospital in Vienna. In addition to studying childhood diseases, he developed a special interest in patients with mental and emotional disorders.
What did Freud do in his college years?
Freud changed his first name to Sigmund in 1878. Early in his college years, Freud decided to pursue medicine, although he didn't envision himself caring for patients in a traditional sense. He was fascinated by bacteriology, the new branch of science whose focus was the study of organisms and the diseases they caused.
How did Freud use hypnosis?
Freud used hypnosis with these patients and encouraged them to talk about past events in their lives. He dutifully wrote down all that he learned from them -- traumatic memories, as well as their dreams and fantasies.
How long did Freud's engagement last?
The two were immediately attracted to one another and became engaged within months of meeting. The engagement lasted four years , as Freud (still living in his parents' home) worked to make enough money to be able to marry and support Martha.
What is the famous quote from Freud?
Also Known As: Sigismund Schlomo Freud (born as); "Father of Psychoanalysis". Famous Quote: "The ego is not master in its own house.".
When did Freud open his private practice?
Private Practice and "Anna O". Returning to Vienna in February 1886, Freud opened a private practice as a specialist in the treatment of "nervous diseases.". As his practice grew, he finally earned enough money to marry Martha Bernays in September 1886.
How did Freud understand the nature and variety of these illnesses?
Freud sought to understand the nature and variety of these illnesses by retracing the sexual history of his patients. This was not primarily an investigation of sexual experiences as such. Far more important were the patient’s wishes and desires, their experience of love, hate, shame, guilt and fear – and how they handled these powerful emotions.
What was Freud's life work?
Freud's life work was dominated by his attempts to find ways of penetrating this often subtle and elaborate camouflage that obscures the hidden structure and processes of personality. His lexicon has become embedded within the vocabulary of Western society.
What did Sigmund Freud believe about psychology?
Freud believed that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality.
Why are dreams important?
Freud (1900) considered dreams to be the royal road to the unconscious as it is in dreams that the ego's defenses are lowered so that some of the repressed material comes through to awareness, albeit in distorted form. Dreams perform important functions for the unconscious mind and serve as valuable clues to how the unconscious mind operates.
What did Freud describe in his model of the mind?
Freud (1900, 1905) developed a topographical model of the mind, whereby he described the features of the mind’s structure and function. Freud used the analogy of an iceberg to describe the three levels of the mind.
What did Freud believe about childhood?
Freud believed that events in our childhood have a great influence on our adult lives, shaping our personality. For example, anxiety originating from traumatic experiences in a person's past is hidden from consciousness, and may cause problems during adulthood (in the form of neuroses). Article Content.
How many levels of the mind did Freud propose?
This theory emerged “bit by bit” as a result of Freud’s clinical investigations, and it led him to propose that there were at least three levels of the mind.
What was Sigmund Freud interested in?
Like many doctors, writers, and philosophers working at the end of the nineteenth century, Freud grew increasingly interested in the unconscious. He took the unconscious to be a dimension of human life at once inaccessible and important as a source of thoughts and actions.
Who did Freud study with?
Freud's interest in what lay beyond conscious life and in hypnotism and hysteria led him to study with the famous neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot of the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.
What did Freud think of unconscious behavior?
Like many doctors, writers, and philosophers working at the end of the nineteenth century, Freud grew increasingly interested in the unconscious. He took the unconscious to be a dimension of human life at once inaccessible and important as a source of thoughts and actions. In his efforts to decipher the meanings of hysterical symptoms and other neglected mental phenomena that seemed beyond conscious control (such as dreams and slips of the tongue), Freud moved further away from his neurological training. Committed to the idea that apparently meaningless behaviors actually expressed unconscious conflict, he developed techniques for determining what the behaviors might mean. This section -- divided into six parts -- introduces us to some of Freud's most famous patients and the key concepts with which he tried to make sense of their symptoms and their lives.
What did Freud study in Paris?
Neurology and Hypnosis. When Freud went to Paris in 1885 to study with Jean-Martin Charcot, the neurologist had already shifted his own focus from neuropathology to problems of hysteria, hypnotism, and suggestion. Charcot documented the stages of hysteria with photography.
Why did Freud move away from his neurological training?
In his efforts to decipher the meanings of hysterical symptoms and other neglected mental phenomena that seemed beyond conscious control (such as dreams and slips of the tongue), Freud moved further away from his neurological training.
What is Freud's theory of hysteria?
This joint publication of Freud's and Breuer's lays out their theory of hysteria, describing how the hysteric experiences the illness and sometimes overcomes it by gaining insight into how it came about. In the draft of "Architecture of Hysteria," Freud tries to sort through the relation of fantasies to accurate memories of traumatic events.
Why did Freud use interpretation?
For Freud, interpretation was necessary to give meaning to the apparently random thoughts of free association. Freud's focus was on reading the obscure language of the unconscious, and he developed techniques of interpretation in order to do so. In the cases of patients known as Rat Man and Wolf Man, he wove together elaborate stories, explanations, and speculations to make sense out of constellations of symptoms that seemed impossibly puzzling. These case histories, written for colleagues, read like detective novels in which the analyst deciphers the significance of symptoms as if they are clues.
What did Freud study?
At that time, Freud decided to devote his efforts to the study of therapeutic uses of cocaine, with the aim of increasing its prestige among the Viennese scientific community. Previous experiments had mistakenly shown that cocaine could cure addiction to morphine (widely used at the time to relieve pain at home).
Why did Freud use cocaine?
“Whatever the reason, to calm a headache, abdominal pain, sinusitis or a nostalgic mood, Freud used cocaine to alleviate the discomfort ,” reveals Markel. No one was aware of the risks of white powder. Anyone could buy cocaine in pharmacies without any type of control or medical prescription, and merchants benefited from the boom of the substance to make it the essential component of a myriad of ointments, juices, cigarettes, and even food products, such as some kinds of margarine.
Why did Halsted leave the operating room?
On one occasion, Halsted had to leave the operating room in the middle of surgery because the effects of cocaine did not even allow him to hold the surgical instruments. He finally agreed to go into a hospital, but he never recovered from the psychic sequelae caused by the drug, and he also developed a dependence on morphine.
Why did cocaine stay in the shade?
At the beginning of the 20th century, addicts to the cocaine alkaloid were many, and most managed to stay in the shade thanks to its supposed invigorating properties. “It was not easy to lead a double life, being a renowned doctor in the public sphere and, simultaneously, a cocaine user, a drug addict,” explains Markel.
When did Freud stop using cocaine?
It would still take many years for science to understand the catastrophic consequences of abuse in cocaine use. Freud stopped taking it in 1896, at the age of 40. He began to experience tachycardia and noticed how his intellectual performance declined considerably. The alkaloid itself of cocaine was the cause of the premature death of his friend and could have caused the death of several of his patients.
When did cocaine become a drug?
Cocaine became a popular drug in the 1970s, especially in the nightlife scene. However, long before it was a known drug in the world of the night, the father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud was already using it frequently.
Did Freud give up cocaine?
Freud managed to rehabilitate himself and completely gave up his addiction. Nevertheless, William Halsted, who was one of the pioneers of modern surgery, he could never get off the hook from cocaine use. After studying Freud’s texts on the substance, he set out to investigate whether he could use it as a local anesthetic, thus replacing ether and chloroform. To that end, he made himself a guinea pig, but within a few weeks, the first effects began to bloom.
What did Freud's patients complain about?
According to several biographers, one of Freud’s patients, Emma Eckstein, had come to him complaining of stomach pains and depression related to her menstrual cycle.
Who prescribed cocaine to Freud?
Oblivious to cocaine’s addictive properties, Freud prescribed cocaine to his friend and teacher, Ernst von Fleischl-Marxow.
How many inches of gauze did Freud and Fleiss leave up there?
This time, Freud called a different doctor to inspect her nose; the doctor pulled out twenty inches of gauze that Freud and Fleiss had accidentally left up there. According to both men present, blood poured from her nose like a faucet; her eyes bulged, she turned white, and for thirty seconds she lost her pulse.
What did Freud think of the hysteria of the hysteria?
Freud diagnosed her with hysteria and “masturbating to excess,” something he believed was both a mental illness and the root of all addiction, as he wrote in the abstract of “Masturbation, addiction and obsessional neurosis” (1897). He called in Fleiss, an otolaryngologist, for the treatment: cauterization of the nose.
What did Fleiss believe about Emma's nose?
Fleiss believed the nose was linked to the genitals, and that operating on it could quell sexual problems such as Emma’s. He and Freud cauterized her nose with cocaine, which was legal at the time, and sometimes used as a local anesthetic and for cauterization.
How did Freud's cocaine episode influence his theories?
He discusses how cocaine partly inspired Freud’s famous “free association” technique, where he asked his patients to voice their unconditioned, “stream of consciousness” thoughts.
What were Freud's two vices?
Looking for stress-relief, Freud took to his two favorite vices: cigars and cocaine. “Today I can write because I have more hope,” he wrote Fleiss. “I pulled myself out of a miserable attack with a cocaine application.”.
Sigmund Freud Biography
Sigmund Freud’s Theories
- Freud's theories were enormously influential but subject to considerable criticism both now and during his life. However, his ideas have become interwoven into the fabric of our culture, with terms such as "Freudian slip," "repression," and "denial" appearing regularly in everyday language. Freud's theories include: 1. Unconscious mind: This is one of his most enduring ideas, which is t…
Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis
- Freud's ideas had such a strong impact on psychology that an entire school of thought emerged from his work: psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis has had a lasting impact on both the study of psychology and the practice of psychotherapy. Research has found that psychoanalysis can be an effective treatment for a number of mental health conditions. The sel...
Sigmund Freud's Patients
- Freud based his ideas on case studiesof his own patients and those of his colleagues. These patients helped shape his theories and many have become well known. Some of these individuals included: 1. Anna O. (aka Bertha Pappenheim) 2. Little Hans (Herbert Graf) 3. Dora (Ida Bauer) 4. Rat Man (Ernst Lanzer) 5. Wolf Man (Sergei Pankejeff) 6. Sabina Spielrein Anna O. was never act…
Major Works by Freud
- Freud's writings detail many of his major theories and ideas. His personal favorite was "The Interpretation of Dreams." Of it, he wrote: "[It] contains...the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime."9 Some of Freud's major books include: 1. "The Interpretation of Dreams" 2. "The Psychopatholog…
Freud's Perspectives
- Outside of the field of psychology, Freud wrote and theorized about a broad range of subjects. He also wrote about and developed theories related to topics including sex, dreams, religion, women, and culture.
Psychologists Influenced by Freud
- In addition to his grand and far-reaching theories of human psychology, Freud also left his mark on a number of individuals who went on to become some of psychology's greatest thinkers. Some of the eminent psychologistswho were influenced by Sigmund Freud include: 1. Anna Freud 2. Alfred Adler 3. Carl Jung 4. Erik Erikson 5. Melanie Klein 6. Ernst Jones 7. Otto Rank While Freud'…
Freud's Contributions to Psychology
- Freud's theories are highly controversial today. For instance, he has been criticized for his lack of knowledge about women and for sexist notions in his theories about sexual development, hysteria, and penis envy.10 However, it remains true that Freud had a significant and lasting influence on the field of psychology. He provided a foundation for many concepts that psycholo…
A Word from Verywell
- While Freud's theories have been the subject of considerable controversy and debate, his impact on psychology, therapy, and culture is undeniable. As W.H. Auden wrote in his 1939 poem, "In Memory of Sigmund Freud":15 "...if often he was wrong and, at times, absurd, to us he is no more a person now but a whole climate of opinion."
Overview
Biography
Ideas
Legacy
In popular culture
Works
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies in the psyche through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.
Freud was born to Galician Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Freiberg, in the Austrian Empire. He qualified as a doctor of medicine in 1881 at the University …
Correspondence
Sigmund Freud was born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Freiberg, in the Austrian Empire (now Příbor, Czech Republic), the first of eight children. Both of his parents were from Galicia, a historic province straddling modern-day West Ukraine and southeast Poland. His father, Jakob Freud (1815–1896), a wool merchant, had two sons, Emanuel (1833–1914) and Phili…
See also
Freud began his study of medicine at the University of Vienna in 1873. He took almost nine years to complete his studies, due to his interest in neurophysiological research, specifically investigation of the sexual anatomy of eels and the physiology of the fish nervous system, and because of his interest in studying philosophy with Franz Brentano. He entered private practice in neur…