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Sigmund Freud

Born in Austria in 1856, Sigmund Freud was a psychologist, one who has become arguably the most widely recognized name in the history of the field, at least by the general public’s standards. He was the father of psychoanalysis, a branch of psychology that has as its focus a set of methodologies and ideas regarding the relationship between the unconscious elements of a person’s thought processes (sexual and aggressive desires and fantasies that go against cultural conventionality and are therefore repressed) and the manner in which they affect that person’s observable behavior patterns to the point of sometimes causing hysteria (unexplainable physical ailments or unmanageable fear) or neurosis (for example, obsessive-compulsive disorder).

Freud believed these types of desires and fantasies to be instinctual drives and classified them as thanatos, meaning the death instinct and eros, meaning the sexual instinct. In order to treat psychological ailments, he said these unconscious motives needed to be brought to the surface so as to be addressed openly. To achieve this objective, he relied mostly on dream analysis and free association. These methodologies, employed while a patient talked and reclined on a now stereotypical couch, are at the core of psychoanalysis.

Freud is considered to be one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century. His work has had groundbreaking impact on the field of psychology and on a host of other fields including sociology, anthropology, literature, philosophy, political science and history. Though his influence and impact are undeniable, most scholars and practitioners now recognize that many of Freud's core theses were largely wrong or misguided.

Web Resources On Sigmund Freud

Wikipedia: Freud
IEP: Freud

Book Resources On Sigmund Freud

The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud by Sigmund Freud
The Ego and the Id by Sigmund Freud

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