One of the most influential and controversial names of the 20th century, Sigmund Freud was a neurologist who lived in Vienna, the capital of Austria, for almost all of his 83 years of life.
The doctor made several contributions to the areas of medicine, psychology, literature, philosophy, politics, among others. However, his main achievement, as a health care professional and especially in the human mind, is to have created an important theory, psychoanalysis or Freudian theory.
Since the creation of this study, the psychotherapeutic procedure is one of the most used in patients around the world.
See too: Carl Jung and the construction of analytical psychology
Life
Sigmund Schlomo Freud born on May 6, 1856, in the city of Freiberg, Moravia (today Czechia), 160 km from Vienna, capital of Austria.
Freud's parents were called Jacob and Amalia. He was the first of the couple's eight children. His father was Jewish and worked as a wool merchant. The family faced economic difficulties.
When the future father of psychoanalysis was four years old, his family moved to Vienna - at the time the cradle of great productions in the areas of culture, art, music, literature and science.
As a child, Freud's parents gave him special treatment in relation to his siblings. His mother called him "my golden Sig". He was always very studious, got high grades and studied foreign languages on his own.
self-taught, when he was 12 years old Freud was already reading works by William Shakespeare. As a teenager, he started writing a diary of his dreams.
He entered the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vienna in 1873. After graduating in 1881, he wanted to work in research, but to raise money for his wedding, he chose to work at an office in the capital (today, the Freud Museum in Vienna).
in 1885. [2]
At age 26, Freud fell in love with a girl named Martha Bernays. After two months of relationship, they became engaged. The doctor married her at age 30 and together they had six children.
The Austrian doctor was a reserved, shy and discreet man. He had a phobia of traveling, he was addicted to cigars and used to smoke 20 to 25 of these a day. According to him, he needed to smoke a cigar to stay creative.
In 1923, Freud was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw and mouth. He underwent several surgeries to remove tumors. He also removed part of his jaw and started to wear a prosthesis. For the next 16 years, he continued to suffer from the disease.
When the Nazis arrived in Austria in 1938, Freud and his family had to flee to London. However, four of his sisters later died in concentration camps. At the time, some of Freud's books were burned.
Sigmund Freud died on September 23, 1939, at his house, in London, where the Freud Museum in London is now located. Reports indicate that he died after his doctor gave him three doses of morphine.
See too: Freud's reflections on war
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Constructions
In 1885, before becoming famous, Sigmund Freud was admitted as an intern at the Vienna General Hospital. He chose to specialize in nervous diseases (neurology), for being a little sought after area and for practical reasons.
As a student and professional, Freud did several researches that contributed to areas of medicine and biology, such as physiology, anatomy, histology, anesthesia and pediatrics.
Other of his contributions were investigations on topics such as the nature of aphasia (language disorders), cerebral palsy in childhood and the anesthetic properties of cocaine. A curiosity is that, at the time, he made constant use of this drug.
Early in his career, Freud spent time in Paris to study with the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, who hypnotized patients considered hysterical in front of the public.
At the time, Freud started to question himself about illnesses that were not only in the body but also in the mind, more specifically in a part called the second mind. He later called this part the unconscious.
Psychoanalysis
In 1886, Freud opened his office in Vienna to see patients with nervous disorders. He tried to use hypnosis therapeutically, but ended up developing another technique: treating people with the call talking cure (treatment by word), which became the basis of all psychotherapy.
After several studies and applications on this treatment, Freud developed the theory of psychoanalysis, whose objective was to understand how the minds of men worked, especially those who were suffering mental.
Freud understood that people who did not express their feelings had a sick mind, and that, when applying psychoanalytic techniques, such as free association and the interpretation of dreams, for example, patients were encouraged to express their thoughts and memories that caused the neuroses.
In order for his patients to feel at ease, the doctor asked them to lie down on a sofa, known today as the famous Freud's couch.
![Sigmund Freud and his couch, represented at the Madame Tussauds Museum in London. [3]](/f/03cd77ff4e3db2ccdb49ee1b828a9119.jpg)
Sigmund Freud and his couch, represented at the Madame Tussauds Museum in London. [3]
According to research, the Freudian theory also explains that human behavior can be determined by unconscious motivations arising from childhood experiences, specifically related to love, loss, sexuality and death, and complex emotional attitudes on the part of relatives.
Studies also show that Freud had an enlightened view on homosexuality. According to him, many individuals in history were homosexual and it would be great injustice and cruelty to persecute them as if they were committing a crime.
Check out the most famous works by Sigmund Freud:
- Studies on Hysteria (1895)
- The Interpretation of Dreams (1900)
- The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1901)
- Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905)
- Jokes and their relation to the unconscious (1905)
- Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920)
- Civilization and its Discontents (1930)
- Civilization and its Discontents (1931)
Read more: Latency phase — interval between child and adult sexual organization
museums
Sigmund Freud Museum Vienna
The house where he lived and worked is located at Bergasse 19 in Vienna. Today, the site is a museum open to the public. In it, visitors can enjoy various photos, objects and furniture, and there is also a library.
As Freud even attended to his patients in the property, it is possible to see the waiting room and the office. It is estimated that the doctor has treated more than 500 patients.
Explore the museum by clicking on here.
Freud Museum London
For the last year of his life, Freud lived in a house at 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, London. In 1986, the space became a museum dedicated to the former resident.
At the house, visitors can check out the famous divan used by their patients. There are several of his belongings there, among which is his huge collection of ancient civilizations, with more than two thousand pieces.
After Freud died, his daughter Anna continued to live in the house for 44 years, working as a psychoanalyst, especially with children.
Discover the museum by clicking on here.
Image credits
[1]Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
[2] Sigmund Freud, c. 1885. © Freud Museum London
[3] Massimo Todaro / Shutterstock.com
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist
