Sigmund Freud created strong theories in science and medicine that are still studied today. Freud was a neurologist who proposed many distinctive theories in psychiatry, all based upon the method of psychoanalysis. Some of his key concepts include the ego/superego/id, free association, trauma/fantasy, dream interpretation, and jokes and the unconscious. “Freud remained a determinist throughout his life, believing that all vital phenomena, including psychological phenomena like thoughts, feelings and phantasies, are rigidly determined by the principle of cause and effect” (Storr, 1989, p. 2). Through the discussion of those central concepts, Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis becomes clear as to how he construed human character. Freud …show more content…
The reason behind the expression of hysteric symptoms in a mental patient, such as Anna O., is from the affect of an unpleasant memory that is not brought to the conscious mind. The conflict of repression is the explanation for physical symptoms seen in hysteria. Storr wrote, “In many instances, the physical symptom expressed the patient’s feelings in symbolic fashion. Thus, constriction in the throat might express an inability to swallow an insult; or a pain in the region of the heart might signify that the patient’s heart has been metaphorically broken or damaged” (1989, p. 13). This explains the multiple symptoms that Anna O. expressed in her case. Freud continued his work on repression, memories, and past experiences of trauma to be the motive for all neurotic symptoms. Trauma in past experiences was not always the key determinant for hysteria cases, there needed to be another component for the cause. The combination of past trauma and present trauma awakened memories of the earlier trauma which constituted the true aggravation (Storr, 1989, p. 15). However, he began to see a common factor in his work. Next Freud noticed that a common denominator of all his hysteria cases was premature sexual experiences. Sex encompasses many emotions through mind, body, and spirit that can influence a great deal of character if repressed. Storr pointed out that, “Freud became more and more convinced that the chief
A great deal of scientists looked greatly into this matter of cognitive malady, including Austrian neurologists Sigmund Freud and American physician and writer Silas Weir Mitchell. For example, in accordance to author Maria Helena Rowell’s “Hysteria” article, Freud began his research of mechanism that were involved in the treatment of hysteria during the end of the 19th century and developed a theory that
Their essay, “A Preliminary Communication,” stated that “Hysterics suffer mainly from reminiscences.” They argued that hysteria was caused by repressed memories and the feelings that went along with them. Freud and Breuer agreed that symptoms could be cured if they were traced to their beginnings, the cause unearthed, and then the memories and feelings were discharged. They also agreed
It may be hard to imagine how this ridiculous scrutiny of women used to be commonplace. The development and diagnosis of hysteria certainly goes against to the modernistic beliefs of humanistic psychology &
Sigmund Freud was born in Freiberg, Moravia in 1856. Freud was a distinguished child. He attended medical school in Vienna; from there he became actively embraced in research under the direction of a physiology. He was engrossed in neurophysiology and hoped for a position in that field but unfortunately there were not enough positions available. From there, he spent some of his years as a resident in neurology and director of a children’s ward in Berlin. Later on, he returned to Vienna and married his fiancée, Martha Bernays. He continued his practice of neuropsychiatry in Vienna with Joseph Breuer as his assistant. Freud achieved fame by his books and lectures; which brought him “both fame and ostracism from mainstream of the medical
Personality is what makes people who they are. Some people have different personalities others have very similar personalities; but nobody’s personality is exactly the same. In the past many people have tried to understand personality and explain it through theories. This paper, will discuss the differences between the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. It will then show the characteristics of which I agree with as well as the characteristics that I disagree with. Furthermore, it will describe the stages of Freud’s theory and explain the characteristics of personality using these components; And finally, I will describe uses of three Freudian defense mechanisms by using real life examples.
Born in Kentucky, the author received a Masters of Hospital and Health Administration in 1975 from Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. After working thirty years in hospital administration, he is now retired in Miami,
It is this disorder that sparked psychoanalytic interest and development, as noted by the infamous case study of Anna O. by Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer (1895). Though the study of hysteria in psychoanalysis provided fundamental beginning insights about the human psyche during the 19th century, the history of the institutionalization of hysterics is nevertheless tinged with traces of the oppression of women (Chodoff, 1982; Dmytriw, 2015). Hysteria was a disorder that was predominately attributed to women (Tasca et al., 2012), and how it became known as a woman’s disorder can be gathered from societal and cultural contexts in Europe during the 19th century, in particular the stereotypes surrounding women at the
The psychodynamic theory has its own perspective, thus ranging us with numerous experimental findings and studies. According to Freud, the psychodynamic theory has developed from the psychosexual stages of an individual; in terms of normal development, at which, is a start at birth and throughout his adulthood. There are multiple factors structuring of human personality; and therefore, Freud had introduced us his theory in achieving it from the state of the unawareness. Ermann also focused on the same idea, indeed he presented his psychoanalytical research in an article titled, "You touched my heart": Modes of memory and psychoanalytic technique. His concentration was upon the procedural state of the mind as well as referring back to the
The Case of Anna O was a major step in psychological innovation of the nineteenth century. Anna O, or Bertha Pappenheim, was a victim of hysteria, a condition that causes the patient to endure physical symptoms such as paralysis, convulsions, hallucinations, and loss of speech, without an apparent cause. Her doctor, a close colleague of Freud, Josef Breuer, found success in treating her by guiding her through the process of recalling forgotten traumatic memories. Breuer was able to break into her unconscious thoughts, the foundation of the trauma and anxiety she was feeling. An example was her father’s illness and how she had spent years as his caregiver. Although at the time of the illness, she would not express the anxiety she had over it, the memories were recollected through the process of psychoanalysis. Anna O set the precedent of “talking wellness,” what today is known as therapy. After Breuer’s initial psychological advancements using talking as a form of treating mental illness, an idea was born that Freud would end up pursuing for the rest of his life. In his book, Studies of Hysteria (1895), Freud illustrated how physical conditions are often the “surface results of repressed conflicts.” This belief introduced a whole new theory of
Historically, hysteria has been linked with sexuality. According to Freud, his patient Dora experiences a vast number of symptoms that all relate back to her sexuality in some way. For years the 18 year old patient had experienced symptoms of physical and mental hysteria; difficulty breathing coughing, loss of voice, migraines, antisocial behaviour and depression. Freud states “causes of hysterical disorders are to be found in the intimacies of the patients’ psycho-sexual life.” Evidently her first recollection of trauma is when Herr. K, a middle-aged man and friend to her father made an indecent approach to her. He grabbed and kissed her. Her reaction was disgust. Freud deems this as an example of the hysterical symptom of displacement. Instead
Freud was concentrated on the unconscious, so Anna O’s case particularly interested him. Her story was the basis for his book Studies on Hysteria (1895). AS well as Breuer use of hypnosis, that aiding in helping Anna O speak more openly, influences Breuer and Freud’s theory of free assocaiotn. For Freud’s hysteria developed by exapnsinded Breurs talking cure and focusing on reposed memories through free association. Freud stated that “Hysterics suffer from reminiscences, wrote Freud, and they heal when they remember these repressed or dissociated memories. This discovery of Breuer's, Freud continued, is still the foundation of psychoanalytic therapy. It is also the foundation of present-day recovered memory therapy and more generally, of our
Sigmund Freud's revolutionary ideas have set the standard for modern psychoanalysis in which students of psychology can learn from his ideas spread from the field of medicine to daily living. His studies in areas such as unconsciousness, dreams, sexuality, the Oedipus complex, and sexual maladjustments laid the foundation for future studies. In result, better understanding of the small things, which shape our lives.
Sigmund Freud was the discoverer and inventor of psychoanalysis and coined the term in 1896 after publishing studies on Hysteria with Joseph Breuer in 1895. Psychoanalysis still remains unsurpassed in its approach to understanding human motivation, character development, and psychopathology. Freud’s insights and analyses of psychic determinism, early childhood sexual development, and unconscious processes have left an indelible mark on psychology (Korchin, 1983).
One of Freud’s first cases was about Dora, and eighteen year old girl, who went to see Freud due to her father urging her to. However, the case of Anna O marked a turning point for Freud, and it even went on to influence psychology as a whole. Both Dora and Anna O. suffered from hysteria, a condition in which the patient shows physical symptoms without an apparent physical cause. For example, paralysis, loss of speech, and convulsions. Her doctor Josef Breuer went on in treating Anna by helping her recall forgotten memories of traumatic events. During discussions with her, it became apparent that she had developed a fear of drinking when a dog she hated drank from her glass. As soon as she had the chance to make these unconscious thoughts conscious her paralysis
The concept of psychoanalysis was first introduced under Sigmund Freud, who came up with his own theory of the psychoanalytic approach in Vienna in the late 1800s. He was previously a neurologist looking for a treatment for neuroticism and hysteria. While searching for this and also being employed at a Children’s hospital, he came to the realization that there were many mental issues that were not all in the conscious mind due to witnessing aphasic children with no apparent cause for their symptoms (Krull & Kulikov, 2006). This is when he began to write on the subject. In 1885, Freud began studying with Jean-Martin Charcot in Paris. Charcot centered his study primarily on hysteria, anesthesia, paralyses, and hypnotism to attempt to alleviate these internal issues. Freud and Josef Breuer began to write about hysterical symptoms and his theories on them which are characterized as the beginning of psychoanalysis. Josef Breuer is most famously known for his case studies on “Anna O”, a woman who experienced symptoms such as: hallucinations, speech problems, partial paralysis, and visual disturbances(Krull & Kulikov, 2006). Breuer diagnosed her with hysteria, but Freud had a different idea. He believed that at the core of her hysteria symptoms were repressed memories within her childhood, mostly with sexual associations. In 1896, Freud published a “seduction theory” which suggested that hysterical systems stem from excitations in adolescence, such as sexual abuse that was