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Sigmund Freud

Jose Hernandez

Dr. Lindsey

History of Psychology 4480

April 27, 2011

Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

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Sigmund Freud

Undoubtedly, one of the most influential Theorist in the Field of Psychology,

Psychiatry, Physiology, Human Anatomy, Sociology, and many other fields. Freud was a

Doctor, a Neurologist, who early on his career as a Neurologist took a curve and soon

found himself immerse in a new type of Medical Psychology derived from his own

creative intuition, Psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud was born on May, 1896, in Freiberg,

Moravia, currently known as Czech Republic. Freud’s father was Authoritarian, and as a

boy, Freud felt both fear and love toward his father. His Mother was protecting and

loving, this opposite emotional release led him to create his Oedipus complex and Elektra

complex. Freud lived almost his whole life in Austria, for the most part in Vienna. He

had a small circle of believers, and with them he would exchange experiences, case

studies, and different views. Around 1909, Sigmund Freud came to America to give five

of his lectures in the 20th anniversary of Clark University, and around 1915-1917 he gave

a course of lectures at the University of Vienna. Suddenly, the young Freud became more

famous, thanks to John Rickman, an English Psychoanalyst who compiled a complete

Psychoanalytical Bibliography, Index Pshychoanalyticus consisting of 4739 titles,

published in many languages, and nearly five thousand titles are by Freud. This is not the

answer of the question of How Psychoanalysis came into being, it is a way of how it

expanded and grew, particularly in the atmosphere where it had just started: criticism,

disapproval, non-scientific based and so on so forth.

After Rickman’s publication and the fast spread of Psychoanalysis, especially

Freud’s articles, first appeared in 1922 in Spain with a good translation into Spanish.

During the twenty three years after the First publication, America, England, France,
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India, Japan, and Argentina began to publish Psychoanalytic Journals. Also, Institute for

Psychoanalytic training started in many different cities, such as Paris, Vienna, New York,

Chicago, Boston, Buenos Aires, and many others round the world.

Freud’s work on the psychosexual stages of development that mostly every

person experience in the process of growing from certain age to another stage, Freud

strongly believed that early childhood experiences shaped and impact our personality

traits and characteristics. Freud’s psychosexual stages are included in his three essays on

Sexuality, published in 1915: Oral stage, born to approximately 18 months, to the infant,

the mother's breast not only is the source of food and drink, but also represents her love.

Because the child's personality is controlled by the id, demands immediate gratification,

responsive nurturing is an important key to avoid insufficient or forceful feeding could

result in fixation in this stage. Center of gratification would be the mouth. The second

stage would be Anal Stage, in which the zone of focus would be the anus, the control of

sphincters, as clear example. Freud thought that depending on the child tends to be

retentive or Expulsive would shape their personality later in life. He called them Anal-

expulsive Personality and Anal-retentive Personality. Approximately happen from 18

month to 3 years old. Third stage would be Phallic, in which Oedipus complex and

Electra complex are strongly related to this stage. Zone of pleasure: genital, masturbation

is often found as a gratifying activity and also genital fondling. Age: from four to five

years of age. Latency is followed right after phallic state, there is no erogenous zone of

focus, and it’s a time of learning, repressing sexual feelings to allow children to focus in

other aspects of life. Social environmental adjustment also occurs, values and beliefs are

founded, and usually last five to six years old until puberty. The last one is the Genital
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stage, in which the erogenous zone of focus is indeed, the genitals. In this stage is

completely formed the desire for sexual interaction and interpersonal relationships.

According to Freud, in this stage, there is no fixation, because if there is any

problems or difficulties in this stage, is because a damage, interruption or fixations was

caused in an earlier stage. In one way or another, early experiences in life shape our

personality in a considerable way. Freud also was interested in the Interpretation of

Dreams. In July of 1895, Freud analyzed one of his dreams, which lead him to write his

well known book “interpretation of the Dreams”. The book was published on November

4, 1899, even though the publisher put the date 1900 on the title of the page. Symbolisms

and other references are often mentioned by Freud on his work on dreams. Freud was

also interested in the study of Hysteria, writing about it in collaboration with Breuer. An

interesting yet much criticized work done by Freud is the Defense Mechanisms, those

that consist on the analysis of behaviors that represent unconscious denials or distortions

of reality in order to protect the ego against anxiety. Freudian Defense Mechanisms are

Denial, Displacement, Projection, Rationalism, Reaction Formation, Regression,

Repression, and Sublimation. Each mechanisms previous mentioned, react in a different

way when facing a possible anxiety/stressful situation. Freud is considered one of the

Landmarks of the twenty century. His implications have by no means been fully explored

and even today, there is still much to discover about his theoretical approach. Freud had a

huge impact in American Psychology, especially after his 1909 visit to Clark University.

Freud’s publications helped Psychoanalysis to spread quickly among the United States.

Regardless of the Lack of scientific severity and weakness in methodology,

Psychoanalysis became a vital force in modern Psychology.

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References

Zilboorg, G. (1951) Sigmund Freud His Exploration of the mind of Man. Charles
Scribner’s sons, LTD., New York. pp. 1-25.

Miller, J, Weidenfeld, G. & Nicholson Ltd. (1972) Freud, the man, his world, his
Influence. Little, Brown and Company. Boston, Toronto. pp. 171-176.

Schultz, D., Schultz, S. A History of Modern Psychology. Eight Edition. Thompson

Wadworth.

Fisher, S., & Greenberg, R. The Scientific Credibility of Freud’s theories and Therapy.
1985. Columbia University Press.

www.faculty.mdc.edu Psychosexual stages of Development.

http://faculty.mdc.edu/jmcnair/Joe5pages/Psychosexual%20stages%20(simplified).htm