Chapter 2: Freud & Psychoanalysis
Introduction
● Psychoanalysis: First formal theory of personality, best known
● His work changed the way we look at human nature
● Many future theories would develop from this one either adding onto it or refuting it
entirely
● It’s important to start here if we’re to understand the context of future theories
The life of Freud (1856-1939)
● Childhood
○ Born in Moravia, moved to Vienna at age 4
○ Authoritarian Father who he hated
○ Loving/Protective Mother & had sexual attraction to her
○ Extremely talented, smart, and ambitious
● The Cocaine Episode
○ Called it a miracle drug and claimed it cured his depression and indigestion. It
wasn’t illegal at the time and he used it a lot
○ He published a paper praising cocaine, was criticized for partially causing the
cocaine plague in europe that lasted into the 1920’s
● The Sexual basis for his theories
○ He established himself as a clinical neurologist in 1881 and started his
exploration into the personalities of people suffering from emotional disorders.
■ Emma Eckstein
● Complained of stomach pains and depression relating to
menstrual cycle, Freud diagnosed her with hysteria and
“masturbating to excess,” something he believed to be the root of
addiction and a mental illness
● He and an otolaryngologist agreed that the best course of action
was to operate on her nose since it’s linked to the genitals.
● They shoved gram after gram of pure cocaine up her nose which
burned through her tissue and sinuses, emitting pus and the smell
of burning flesh.
● She came back with insane nosebleeds, a new doctor pulled out
twenty inches of gauze form her nose and blood poured like a
faucet, her eyes bulged, she turned white, and for 30 seconds she
lost her pulse
● She returned with near fatal hemorrhages with half of her face
caved in.
○ Working with Jean Charcot, she had the idea that there is a sexual basis for
emotional disturbance. He began to see this in his practice.
, ○ He came to believe that instances or rape or incest in young females wre the root
of their emotional disturbances.
○ He claimed most of his female patients reporte traumatic sexual experiences
from childhood
■ Went back on this, claimed that it never happened or was a fantasy either
because he genuinely changed his mind or he wanted to make his ideas
more socially acceptable. Regardless, the mere idea that they believed it
happened would eventually become his focus
● Freud’s personal adult life
○ Sexual life
■ Virgin until 30
■ Publicly called for people to dismiss the animalistic desires
■ Partly also due to his wife’s issues with pregnancy, would blame her for
his sexual frustrations
○ His Neurotic Episode
■ Experienced a lot of health issues entering his 40’s which he blamed on
his sexual frustrations
■ He made the conclusions that these sexual frustrations would cause
these issues for all people
○ His Dreams
■ Through the exploration of his dreams during his neurotic episode, he
realized the hate for his father and his childhood sexual longings for his
mother
■ He made much of his theories based of off this
● Freud’s ideas attract attention
○ As he became known, he attracted a group of disciples who met him regularly to
learn about his new system
○ They were considered outsiders
○ Disciples included Carl Yung and Alfred Adler, who would eventually split from
him to develop his own theories. He would resent them
○ In 1909 he received formal recognition from the American psychological
community and was invited to receive an honorary doctoral degree… but he said
no bc he didn’t like American food and thought there weren’t enough bathrooms
○ Despite that, his system of psychoanalysis was pretty readily accepted in
America. Many cities would form their own psychoanalytic communities.
● His death
○ His health began to seriously deteriorate starting in 1923 until in death 16 years
later
○ Chose to die. He asked his doctor to overdose him on morphine.
Basics of Psychoanalytic Theory 1: Instincts
● Definition: The basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive
behavior and determine its direction
Introduction
● Psychoanalysis: First formal theory of personality, best known
● His work changed the way we look at human nature
● Many future theories would develop from this one either adding onto it or refuting it
entirely
● It’s important to start here if we’re to understand the context of future theories
The life of Freud (1856-1939)
● Childhood
○ Born in Moravia, moved to Vienna at age 4
○ Authoritarian Father who he hated
○ Loving/Protective Mother & had sexual attraction to her
○ Extremely talented, smart, and ambitious
● The Cocaine Episode
○ Called it a miracle drug and claimed it cured his depression and indigestion. It
wasn’t illegal at the time and he used it a lot
○ He published a paper praising cocaine, was criticized for partially causing the
cocaine plague in europe that lasted into the 1920’s
● The Sexual basis for his theories
○ He established himself as a clinical neurologist in 1881 and started his
exploration into the personalities of people suffering from emotional disorders.
■ Emma Eckstein
● Complained of stomach pains and depression relating to
menstrual cycle, Freud diagnosed her with hysteria and
“masturbating to excess,” something he believed to be the root of
addiction and a mental illness
● He and an otolaryngologist agreed that the best course of action
was to operate on her nose since it’s linked to the genitals.
● They shoved gram after gram of pure cocaine up her nose which
burned through her tissue and sinuses, emitting pus and the smell
of burning flesh.
● She came back with insane nosebleeds, a new doctor pulled out
twenty inches of gauze form her nose and blood poured like a
faucet, her eyes bulged, she turned white, and for 30 seconds she
lost her pulse
● She returned with near fatal hemorrhages with half of her face
caved in.
○ Working with Jean Charcot, she had the idea that there is a sexual basis for
emotional disturbance. He began to see this in his practice.
, ○ He came to believe that instances or rape or incest in young females wre the root
of their emotional disturbances.
○ He claimed most of his female patients reporte traumatic sexual experiences
from childhood
■ Went back on this, claimed that it never happened or was a fantasy either
because he genuinely changed his mind or he wanted to make his ideas
more socially acceptable. Regardless, the mere idea that they believed it
happened would eventually become his focus
● Freud’s personal adult life
○ Sexual life
■ Virgin until 30
■ Publicly called for people to dismiss the animalistic desires
■ Partly also due to his wife’s issues with pregnancy, would blame her for
his sexual frustrations
○ His Neurotic Episode
■ Experienced a lot of health issues entering his 40’s which he blamed on
his sexual frustrations
■ He made the conclusions that these sexual frustrations would cause
these issues for all people
○ His Dreams
■ Through the exploration of his dreams during his neurotic episode, he
realized the hate for his father and his childhood sexual longings for his
mother
■ He made much of his theories based of off this
● Freud’s ideas attract attention
○ As he became known, he attracted a group of disciples who met him regularly to
learn about his new system
○ They were considered outsiders
○ Disciples included Carl Yung and Alfred Adler, who would eventually split from
him to develop his own theories. He would resent them
○ In 1909 he received formal recognition from the American psychological
community and was invited to receive an honorary doctoral degree… but he said
no bc he didn’t like American food and thought there weren’t enough bathrooms
○ Despite that, his system of psychoanalysis was pretty readily accepted in
America. Many cities would form their own psychoanalytic communities.
● His death
○ His health began to seriously deteriorate starting in 1923 until in death 16 years
later
○ Chose to die. He asked his doctor to overdose him on morphine.
Basics of Psychoanalytic Theory 1: Instincts
● Definition: The basic elements of the personality, the motivating forces that drive
behavior and determine its direction
