Sigmund Freud is best known as the creator of the therapeutic technique known as

psychoanalysis. The Austrian-born psychiatrist greatly contributed to the

understanding of human psychology in areas such as the unconscious mind, sexuality,
and dream interpretation. Freud was also among the first to recognize the
significance of emotional events that occur in childhood.

Although many of his theories have since fallen out of favor, Freud profoundly
influenced psychiatric practice in the twentieth century.

Dates: May 6, 1856 -- September 23, 1939

Also Known As: Sigismund Schlomo Freud (born as); "Father of Psychoanalysis"

Famous Quote: "The ego is not master in its own house."

Childhood in Austria-Hungary
Sigismund Freud (later know as Sigmund) was born on May 6, 1856, in the town of
Frieberg in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Czech Republic). He was the
first child of Jacob and Amalia Freud and would be followed by two brothers and
four sisters.

It was the second marriage for Jacob, who had two adult sons from a previous wife.
Jacob set up business as a wool merchant but struggled to earn enough money to take
care of his growing family. Jacob and Amalia raised their family as culturally
Jewish, but were not especially religious in practice.

The family moved to Vienna in 1859, taking up residence in the only place they
could afford -- the Leopoldstadt slum. Jacob and Amalia, however, had reason to
hope for a better future for their children. Reforms enacted by Emperor Franz
Joseph in 1849 had officially abolished discrimination against Jews, lifting
restrictions previously placed upon them.

Although anti-Semitism still existed, Jews were, by law, free to enjoy the
privileges of full citizenship, such as opening a business, entering a profession,
and owning real estate. Unfortunately, Jacob was not a successful businessman and
the Freuds were forced to live in a shabby, one-room apartment for several years.

Young Freud began school at the age of nine and quickly rose to the head of the
class. He became a voracious reader and mastered several languages. Freud began to
record his dreams in a notebook as an adolescent, displaying a fascination for what
would later become a key element of his theories.

Following graduation from high school, Freud enrolled at the University of Vienna
in 1873 to study zoology. Between his coursework and lab research, he would remain
at the university for nine years.

Attending University and Finding Love

As his mother's undisputed favorite, Freud enjoyed privileges that his siblings did
not. He was given his own room at home (they now lived in a larger apartment),
while the others shared bedrooms. The younger children had to maintain quiet in the
house so that "Sigi" (as his mother called him) could concentrate on his studies.
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.

Freud became a lab assistant to one of his professors, performing research on the
nervous systems of lower animals such as fish and eels.

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.
While Freud gained satisfaction from his painstaking work with the microscope, he
realized that there was little money in research. He knew he must find a well-
paying job and soon found himself more motivated than ever to do so.

In 1882, Freud met Martha Bernays, a friend of his sister. 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.

Freud the Researcher

Intrigued by the theories on brain function that were emerging during the late 19th
century, Freud opted to specialize in neurology. Many neurologists of that era
sought to find an anatomical cause for mental illness within the brain. Freud also
sought that proof in his research, which involved the dissection and study of
brains. He became knowledgeable enough to give lectures on brain anatomy to other
physicians.

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.

Freud was disturbed by the current methods used to treat the mentally ill, such as
long-term incarceration, hydrotherapy (spraying patients with a hose), and the
dangerous (and poorly-understood) application of electric shock. He aspired to find
a better, more humane method.

One of Freud's early experiments did little to help his professional reputation. In
1884, Freud published a paper detailing his experimentation with cocaine as a
remedy for mental and physical ailments. He sang the praises of the drug, which he
administered to himself as a cure for headaches and anxiety. Freud shelved the
study after numerous cases of addiction were reported by those using the drug
medicinally.

Hysteria and Hypnosis

In 1885, Freud traveled to Paris, having received a grant to study with pioneering
neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. The French physician had recently resurrected the
use of hypnosis, made popular a century earlier by Dr. Franz Mesmer.

Charcot specialized in the treatment of patients with "hysteria," the catch-all

name for an ailment with various symptoms, ranging from depression to seizures and
paralysis, which mainly affected women.

Charcot believed that most cases of hysteria originated in the patient's mind and
should be treated as such. He held public demonstrations, during which he would
hypnotize patients (placing them into a trance) and induce their symptoms, one at a
time, then remove them by suggestion.

Although some observers (especially those in the medical community) viewed it with
suspicion, hypnosis did seem to work on some patients.

Freud was greatly influenced by Charcot's method, which illustrated the powerful
role that words could play in the treatment of mental illness. He also came to
adopt the belief that some physical ailments might originate in the mind, rather
than in the body alone.
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. The couple moved into an apartment in a middle-class neighborhood
in the heart of Vienna. Their first child, Mathilde, was born in 1887, followed by
three sons and two daughters over the next eight years.

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. He dutifully wrote down all that he learned from them -- traumatic memories,
as well as their dreams and fantasies.

One of Freud's most important mentors during this time was Viennese physician Josef
Breuer. Through Breuer, Freud learned about a patient whose case had an enormous
influence upon Freud and the development of his theories.

"Anna O" (real name Bertha Pappenheim) was the pseudonym of one of Breuer's
hysteria patients who had proved especially difficult to treat. She suffered from
numerous physical complaints, including arm paralysis, dizziness, and temporary
deafness.

Breuer treated Anna by using what the patient herself called "the talking cure."
She and Breuer were able to trace a particular symptom back to an actual event in
her life that might have triggered it.

In talking about the experience, Anna found that she felt a sense of relief,
leading to a diminishment -- or even the disappearance of -- a symptom. Thus, Anna
O became the first patient to have undergone "psychoanalysis," a term coined by
Freud himself.

The Unconscious
Inspired by the case of Anna O, Freud incorporated the talking cure into his own
practice. Before long, he did away with the hypnosis aspect, focusing instead upon
listening to his patients and asking them questions.

Later, he asked fewer questions, allowing his patients to talk about whatever came
to mind, a method known as free association. As always, Freud kept meticulous notes
on everything his patients said, referring to such documentation as a case study.
He considered this his scientific data.

As Freud gained experience as a psychoanalyst, he developed a concept of the human

mind as an iceberg, noting that a major portion of the mind -- the part that lacked
awareness -- existed under the surface of the water. He referred to this as the
“unconscious.”

Other early psychologists of the day held a similar belief, but Freud was the first
to attempt to systematically study the unconscious in a scientific way.

Freud's theory -- that humans are not aware of all of their own thoughts, and might
often act upon unconscious motives -- was considered a radical one in its time. His
ideas were not well-received by other physicians because he could not unequivocally
prove them.

In an effort to explain his theories, Freud co-authored Studies in Hysteria with

Breuer in 1895. The book did not sell well, but Freud was undeterred. He was
certain that he had uncovered a great secret about the human mind.
(Many people now commonly use the term "Freudian slip" to refer to a verbal mistake
that potentially reveals an unconscious thought or belief.)