The Life of Freud (1856–1939)

The Life of Freud (1856–1939)

• Early Years
  • Freud was born in 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia (now Příbor, Czech Republic).
  • His father, a wool merchant, struggled financially and moved the family to Vienna when Freud was 4 years old.
  • Freud’s father, strict and authoritarian, was 40 at Freud’s birth, while his mother, 20 years younger, was affectionate and protective. Freud was deeply attached to her, his mother’s first son.
  • Freud’s close relationship with his mother likely influenced his later theory of the Oedipus complex.
  • His mother believed he would achieve greatness, which fueled Freud’s ambition and self-confidence. He felt like a “conqueror” because of her attention.
  • Freud was jealous of his siblings, especially when they competed for his mother’s affection. There were eight children in total, including two half-brothers.
  • Freud exhibited high intelligence from an early age. His parents encouraged this by limiting distractions (e.g., not allowing his sisters to play the piano). He learned multiple languages, including German, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, English, Italian, and Spanish.
  • Although interested in military history and literature (he read Shakespeare in English), Freud chose to study medicine to pursue scientific research for fame, rather than practice as a physician.
• The Cocaine Episode
  • During medical school, Freud experimented with cocaine and promoted it as a “miracle drug” for conditions like depression and indigestion. He even persuaded friends and family to try it.
  • In 1884, he published an article praising cocaine, hoping for recognition. However, it contributed to a cocaine epidemic in Europe and the U.S., leading to later criticism.
  • Freud continued using cocaine until the mid-1890s, after which he switched to wine.
• Sexual Basis of Neurosis
  • Freud’s hopes for a research career faded due to financial concerns, especially during his long engagement to Martha Bernays, leading him to clinical practice as a neurologist in 1881.
  • He studied under French psychiatrist Jean Martin Charcot, who influenced his thinking on the sexual origins of emotional disorders.
  • After returning to Vienna, Freud became convinced that sexual problems, such as impotence or dysfunction, were at the root of many emotional disturbances.
• Childhood Sexual Abuse: Fact or Fantasy?
  • Freud initially believed that childhood sexual trauma, often involving a father or male relative, was the cause of neurosis.
  • After a year, he revised this view, suggesting that these reports were fantasies rather than actual events. Nonetheless, he still regarded sexual conflicts as central to neuroses.
  • This change of opinion remains controversial. Modern scholars argue that childhood sexual abuse is more prevalent than Freud later admitted. Some suggest Freud suppressed the truth for personal or theoretical reasons.
• Freud’s Own Sexual Life
  • Despite emphasizing sex in his theories, Freud experienced many personal sexual conflicts. He was shy, afraid of women, and still a virgin when he married at age 30.
  • He viewed sex as dangerous and degrading, seeing it as an animalistic need that should be controlled. Freud ended his sexual life at age 41, believing it no longer useful.
  • Freud resented his wife, Martha, for her frequent pregnancies and her reluctance to engage in sexual activities outside of procreation. This frustration may have contributed to his periods of impotence.
• Freud’s Neurotic Episode and Its Influence on His Theories
  • In his 40s, Freud experienced a severe neurotic episode, describing it as a period of confusion and mental cloudiness.
  • He suffered from physical symptoms such as migraines, urinary issues, and a spastic colon, as well as anxiety about death, travel, and open spaces.
  • Freud diagnosed himself with anxiety neurosis and neurasthenia, conditions involving weakness and worry, linking these symptoms to unresolved sexual tension.
  • His personal sexual conflicts influenced his theory of neurosis, shaping his belief that such issues were central to emotional disorders.
  • Freud also experienced attraction to beautiful women, which may have influenced the dynamics within his professional life.
  • Through self-analysis, particularly dream interpretation, Freud realized his deep-seated hostility toward his father and his childhood sexual desires for his mother, as well as unsettling dreams involving his eldest daughter.
  • Freud’s personal conflicts were foundational to his theories. He famously remarked, “The most important patient for me was my own person,” emphasizing how much his theories were based on his own neuroses and childhood experiences.
• Instincts: The Core of Freud’s Personality Theory
  • Freud viewed instincts as the driving forces behind behavior, connecting bodily needs with mental desires.
  • Bodily needs, such as hunger or sex, create tension, which transforms into a mental state—a wish—that motivates behavior to reduce the tension and maintain homeostasis.
  • Freud proposed two types of instincts:
    • Life Instincts: Related to survival and growth, these instincts satisfy basic needs like food, water, and sex. The energy from these instincts is called libido.
    • Death Instincts: Freud believed people have an unconscious desire to return to an inanimate state, manifesting as aggression and destructive behavior. This idea was linked to his experiences with aging, illness, and witnessing World War I.
  • The death instinct was highly controversial, with even Freud’s followers rejecting it as an extreme and unnecessary addition to his theories.
• Levels of Personality
  • Freud divided the personality into three levels:
    • Conscious: Immediate awareness of thoughts, sensations, and experiences.
    • Preconscious: Stores memories and information that can be easily accessed.
    • Unconscious: The largest part of the mind, containing repressed thoughts, desires, and memories that influence behavior.