Sigmund Freud: Early Life
Sigmund Freud was born on May 6, 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, which is in modern-day Czechoslovakia. He was the first-born of eight children. His family moved to Leipzig when he was young, and then moved to Vienna when he was four years old, where he stayed for most of life. His father was twenty years older than his mother. Jacob, Freud's father, was very strict, making Sigmund fear him and love him at the same time. He felt attached to his mother because she was protective and loving. He believed that fearing the father and loving the mother were characteristics of the Oedipus Complex, which he developed later in life based somewhat on his childhood.
He was a very bright child and his family encouraged his intelligence. His mother was very proud of him and gave him much support and attention because she believed he would accomplish great things. He was the only child allowed to have an oil lamp in his room because it helped him study. His siblings were not allowed to play musical instruments because the noise might disturb his studies. He went to high school a year earlier and graduated at the age of seventeen. He spoke German, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, English, and he taught himself Italian and Spanish. He attended the University of Vienna in 1873 and spent eight years earning his degree because he was interested in many different courses besides medicine, his main area of study. Freud began using cocaine in college and thought it was the cure-all; he said that it helped his depression and indigestion. He hoped to become famous for discovering the use of cocaine to cure a wide variety of symptoms, but Carl Koller received the credit after discovering that it could be used to treat eye disorders. Freud continued to use cocaine until he was middle-aged, although he made people believe he stopped using it after medical school, since it became illegal and inappropriate to use it for personal use at that point.
He received his M.D. in 1881 and decided to go into private practice as a neurologist. He became engaged to Martha Bernays soon after, but their wedding was postponed several times due to money. They courted for four years and he became jealous and overbearing of her spending time with anyone but him. He did not have much time for her or his children as his work became more important. He spent a lot of time and vacations with his sister-in-law, Minna, because Martha could not always handle outdoor activities.
Sigmund Freud was born on May 6, 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, which is in modern-day Czechoslovakia. He was the first-born of eight children. His family moved to Leipzig when he was young, and then moved to Vienna when he was four years old, where he stayed for most of life. His father was twenty years older than his mother. Jacob, Freud's father, was very strict, making Sigmund fear him and love him at the same time. He felt attached to his mother because she was protective and loving. He believed that fearing the father and loving the mother were characteristics of the Oedipus Complex, which he developed later in life based somewhat on his childhood.
He was a very bright child and his family encouraged his intelligence. His mother was very proud of him and gave him much support and attention because she believed he would accomplish great things. He was the only child allowed to have an oil lamp in his room because it helped him study. His siblings were not allowed to play musical instruments because the noise might disturb his studies. He went to high school a year earlier and graduated at the age of seventeen. He spoke German, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, English, and he taught himself Italian and Spanish. He attended the University of Vienna in 1873 and spent eight years earning his degree because he was interested in many different courses besides medicine, his main area of study. Freud began using cocaine in college and thought it was the cure-all; he said that it helped his depression and indigestion. He hoped to become famous for discovering the use of cocaine to cure a wide variety of symptoms, but Carl Koller received the credit after discovering that it could be used to treat eye disorders. Freud continued to use cocaine until he was middle-aged, although he made people believe he stopped using it after medical school, since it became illegal and inappropriate to use it for personal use at that point.
He received his M.D. in 1881 and decided to go into private practice as a neurologist. He became engaged to Martha Bernays soon after, but their wedding was postponed several times due to money. They courted for four years and he became jealous and overbearing of her spending time with anyone but him. He did not have much time for her or his children as his work became more important. He spent a lot of time and vacations with his sister-in-law, Minna, because Martha could not always handle outdoor activities.
Freud's Later Life
He accomplished many things throughout his lifetime, including establishing psychoanalysis, which included work on dream analysis, hysteria, childhood seduction (Oedipus Complex), defense mechanisms, and many other ideas, mainly revolving around sexuality. He published several lectures, papers, and books throughout his lifetime, including a lecture in the American Journal of Psychology. He was well-known as the father of psychoanalysis and met Titchener, James, and Cattel. He was also very close with his colleague, Breuer. He was close with Adler and Jung, although he broke ties with Adler in 1911 and Jung in 1914. His work was progressing and was well-accepted until there was an uncertainty about his ideas around the time he broke ties with Adler.
In 1923, he was diagnosed with mouth cancer. He suffered with cancer for sixteen years and had thirty-three surgeries to remove the cancer from his palate and upper jaw. He had radium treatments, X-rays, and even a vasectomy because doctors at the time believed this would reverse the growth of the tumor. He continued to smoke twenty cigars a day and to see patients, even though it was difficult to understand him with an artificial mouth piece.
In 1933, Hitler took to burning his books and his ideas were eliminated in Germany. He wanted to stay in Vienna during the Nazi reign, but after Nazi troops invaded his home in 1938 and arrested his daughter, Anna, he decided to leave Vienna. Four of Freud's sisters were killed in concentration camps because they stayed in Vienna. He stayed in England, where he continued to get worse. He hired Max Schur as his physician and asked him to end his suffering if it became too unbearable. He died on September 21, 1939 after Schur purposely gave Freud an overdose of morphine to end his life. This account has been questioned by some, who say that Josephine Stross actually administered the morphine and that Schur was not present at Freud's death.
He accomplished many things throughout his lifetime, including establishing psychoanalysis, which included work on dream analysis, hysteria, childhood seduction (Oedipus Complex), defense mechanisms, and many other ideas, mainly revolving around sexuality. He published several lectures, papers, and books throughout his lifetime, including a lecture in the American Journal of Psychology. He was well-known as the father of psychoanalysis and met Titchener, James, and Cattel. He was also very close with his colleague, Breuer. He was close with Adler and Jung, although he broke ties with Adler in 1911 and Jung in 1914. His work was progressing and was well-accepted until there was an uncertainty about his ideas around the time he broke ties with Adler.
In 1923, he was diagnosed with mouth cancer. He suffered with cancer for sixteen years and had thirty-three surgeries to remove the cancer from his palate and upper jaw. He had radium treatments, X-rays, and even a vasectomy because doctors at the time believed this would reverse the growth of the tumor. He continued to smoke twenty cigars a day and to see patients, even though it was difficult to understand him with an artificial mouth piece.
In 1933, Hitler took to burning his books and his ideas were eliminated in Germany. He wanted to stay in Vienna during the Nazi reign, but after Nazi troops invaded his home in 1938 and arrested his daughter, Anna, he decided to leave Vienna. Four of Freud's sisters were killed in concentration camps because they stayed in Vienna. He stayed in England, where he continued to get worse. He hired Max Schur as his physician and asked him to end his suffering if it became too unbearable. He died on September 21, 1939 after Schur purposely gave Freud an overdose of morphine to end his life. This account has been questioned by some, who say that Josephine Stross actually administered the morphine and that Schur was not present at Freud's death.
Source: Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2012). A History of Modern Psychology (10 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.