Sigmund Freud
1856 - 1939
Biography
Childhood/Family Life
May 6 1856 , Moravian Hamlet of Frieberg (know today as Czech Republic)
He was born into a wealthy Jewish family
1st born of 6 children
When he was 5 yrs old his family moved to Vienna Austria
1873 – he graduated Summa Cum Laude from secondary school
He studied medicine at Vienna University.
Adult Life
1876 – he was introduced to a physiology professor by the name of Ernst
von Brucke, through his help young Freud was able to get a grant to study
with psychiatrist Charcot in Paris.
1881 – Freud earned his doctoral degree in medicine at Vienna University,
1886 – married Martha Bernay
1902 – Freud was appointed a professor at Vienna University
Then on 1906 Freud and other seventeen men met to form Psychoanalytic
Society
Among its members were Alfred Adler and Karl Jung
The society dissolved due to political infighting.
In addition Alfred Adler and Karl Jung defected from Freud and his beliefs
1909 Stanley Hall invited Freud to present his theories in a series of lectures at
Clark University in Massachusetts.
1923 he was diagnosed with mouth and jaw cancer.
The last 17years of his life was remained productive; however, Freud underwent
over 30 surgeries for the treatment of his cancer. In the 30’s when the Nazi
gained power, Freud’s life in Vienna was threatened so his family moved to
England where he spent most of his life
September 23, 1939 – Sigmund Freud died of mouth and jaw cancer.
Professional Acomplishments
1895 published Studies on Hysteria this book for Freud was the start into
looking into Psychoanalysis.
1900 publisged The Interpretation of Dreams which initially sold poor but
had a major impact on his popularity.
1901 published another book called Psychopathology of Everyday Life
1905 Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality
1923 The Ego and the Id
Contributions
Psychoanalytic theory is the theory of personality organization and the
dynamics of personality development that guides psychoanalysis, a
clinical method for treating [Link] was the founding
father of psychoanalysis, a method for treating mental illness and also a
theory which explains human behavior.
Psychoanalysis is often known as the talking cure. Typically Freud would
encourage his patients to talk freely (on his famous couch) regarding their
symptoms and to describe exactly what was on their mind.
The Unconscious 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.
Sigmund Freud was the first to use the term psychoanalysis. Freud did not
invent the terms unconscious, conscious, or conscience; however he was
pivotal in making them popular.
He accomplished this through his theory of psychological reality: id, ego,
superego
Freud also drove a strong movement that sex drive is the most important
motivating force.
Psychosexual Theory
Theory of Dreams
According to Freud, there are three levels of consciousness:
conscious (small): this is the part of the mind that holds what youre aware of. You can verablize
about your conscious experience and you can think about it in a logical fashion.
preconscious (small-medium): this is ordinary memory. So although things stored here arent in
the conscious, they can be readily brought into conscious.
unconscious (enormous): Freud felt that this part of the mind was not directly accessible to
awareness. In part, he saw it as a dump box for urges, feelings and ideas that are tied to anxiety,
conflict and pain. These feelings and thoughts have not disappeared and according to Freud, they
are there, exerting influence on our actions and our conscious awareness. This is where most of
the work of the Id, Ego, and Superego take place.
Material passes easily back and forth between the conscious and the preconscious. Material from
these two areas can slip into the unconscious. Truly unconscious material cant be made available
voluntarily, according to Freud. You need a psychoanalyst to do this!
Iceberg metaphor for the minds layout:
We can use the metaphor of an iceberg to help us in understanding Freud's topographical theory.
Only 10% of an iceberg is visible (conscious) whereas the other 90% is beneath the water
(preconscious and unconscious).
The Preconscious is allotted approximately 10% -15% whereas the Unconscious is allotted an
overwhelming 75%-80%.
Defense Mechanisms
Psychosexual Stage
Oral Stage (0 – 1 year)
Anal Stage (1 – 3 years )
Phallic Stage (3 – 5 or 6 years)
Latency Stage (5 or 6 to puberty)
Genital Stage (puberty to adult)
Theory of Dreams
Dreams perform important functions for the unconscious mind and serve
as valuable clues to how the unconscious mind operates.
Dreams have meaning
Interpreting dreams can help resolve hidden conflict.
