Sigmund Freud

(1856 - 1939)
Teegan Conroy
Background Information
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist, known best for his development of psychoanalysis and free
association. Psychoanalysis is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques created by Freud and later
used by other major psychologists, and free association is a psychoanalytic technique used to find
repressed memories. In his early thirties, Freud briefly worked with Wilhelm Fliess (a throat and nose
specialist) in remedial surgery, even referring one of his patients to him to be operated on. After she was
permanently disfigured by Fliess, however, Freud left the field and abandoned him. In 1924, thirty seven
years later, Stalin rose to power and denounced psychology, which was rough for Freud (a jewish
psychologist). Many of his published books were burned by Nazis in 1933 ("What progress we are
making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now, they are content with burning my books.",
Sigmund Freud). He was also diagnosed with cancer after developing a Leukoplakia in january of 1923,
and had to wear a prosthetic jaw after having surgery. He was eventually euthanized using a lethal dose
of morphine in 1939.
Main contribution
Freud did a lot of work on the unconscious mind, and through his work with neurologist Jean-Martin
Charcot he discovered two major techniques used to understand and heal the mind. The first, as I have
mentioned, is psychoanalysis. It is used to study the unconscious mind, using dreams and repressed
thoughts to analyze a patients mental health. Psychoanalysis was very controversial at the time, and is
still considered an important discipline in psychology today. The term was first used in 1896, and Freud
considered this to be his most significant work, which is why I believe this is what Freud is most known
for. His other most significant work, free association, was not so popular as it required patients to have a
certain understanding of their own thoughts (and was also somewhat indiscreet as it required patients to
report all of their thoughts to the therapist, uncensored). Free association was influenced greatly by
hypnosis, as they both required an altered state of consciousness. The difference was that while
hypnosis was used to have people respond to suggestions, free association was used access repressed
memories.
If there were a movie made
about Sigmund Freud, I think
that Franois Berland would
pay him. They look very similar,
and as Freud knew french it
would be accurate for his actor to
play him in a french movie.
Favourite book: Le Peau de Chagrin (by Honor de Balzac), Freud read this book after realizing that his
cancer was incurable, which prompted reflections on his own increasing frailty.

5 best friends on facebook: Max Schur (Freuds physician), Wilhelm Fleiss (Otorhinolaryngologist, friend
of Freud), Martha Bernays (Freuds wife), Amalia Freud (Freuds mother), and Jean-Martin Charcot
(neurologist, studied hypnosis).

Favourite quote: The only person with whom you have to compare yourself is you in the past.

Favourite movie: Silence of the Lambs

Favourite song: Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd)