The Life of Freud

Freud was born in Moravia in 1856.  His father was a Jewish wool merchant.  Since the age of five, Freud lived most of his life in Vienna, Austria. Freud had a passionate, sexual attachment towards his mother and childhood hostility towards his meek father.  Many of his childhood experiences would influence his theories later in life.  There were eight children in the family, but Sigmund had special privileges, such as his own room.  Studying incessantly, Freud entered high school a year earlier and became fluent in several languages.  Freud trained to be a physician and researched fish and eels.  Freud also experimented with cocaine, before it became illegal.  Freud unknowingly harmed a friend by prescribing cocaine and had used cocaine for himself. 

Because Freud lacked an independent income, he entered private practice in Vienna.  He studied with Jean Charcot in Paris and learned how to use the technique of hypnotism for the treatment of neurosis.

Freud became convinced that sexual conflicts were the primary cause of all neurosis.  Freud claimed that childhood fantasies of sexual events were quite common for all children.  Whether these memories are from true events or just sexual fantasies is controversial today.

Freud’s attitude toward sex was negative and felt that sex was degrading, because it contaminated the mind and body.  Freud, although having children, felt resentful toward his sex life with his wife.  Freud diagnosed himself, as having an anxiety neurosis as he learned to psychoanalyze himself through the study of dreams.  He was able to recall his dreams and interpret their meanings.

Freud began to publish articles and books and he also presented papers at scientific meetings.  His disciples or followers included Carl Jung and Alfred Adler.  Jung later broke with Freud in disputing Freud’s approach to psychoanalysis.  Freud received an honorary doctoral degree at Clark University in the United States in 1909, where his theories were warmly welcomed.  By the 1920’s and 1930’s Freud was having much success, however he was to die several years later from cancer of the mouth.  Freud’s books were burned by the Nazis and he fled to England where he died in 1939 by an overdose of morphine that was given deliberately by his physician.