Sigmund Freud

Born in 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, Sigmund Freud moved to Vienna as a child and trained as a neurologist under Jean-Martin Charcot in Paris, where hysteria studies suggested mental illness had psychological roots. In private practice he collaborated with Josef Breuer on *Studies on Hysteria* (1895), introducing the 'talking cure' and the concept of repressed memory.

Freud's mature theory posited id, ego, and superego; infantile sexuality; and dream symbolism as windows into unconscious conflict. Works like *The Interpretation of Dreams* (1899), *The Psychopathology of Everyday Life*, and *Civilization and Its Discontents* extended analysis from clinical patients to culture, religion, and art. He founded the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society and survived professional schisms with Alfred Adler and Carl Jung.

Nazism forced Freud to emigrate to London in 1938; he died there in 1939 of jaw cancer after decades of surgery. Many specific claims—Oedipal theory, penis envy—are now disputed, yet his emphasis on unconscious motivation, defense mechanisms, and therapeutic dialogue remains embedded in psychiatry, psychotherapy, and everyday language.

1856 — Born in Freiberg. Family relocated to Vienna; he excelled in classical languages before entering medical school.

1895 — Studies on Hysteria. With Breuer, published case studies establishing cathartic talking therapy as treatment for hysteria.

1900 — The Interpretation of Dreams. Released his major work on dream analysis, initially selling poorly but eventually transforming psychology.

1908 — First International Psychoanalytic Congress. Gathered followers in Salzburg, institutionalizing psychoanalysis as a global movement.

1939 — Death in London. Died in exile after fleeing Nazi annexation of Austria; his daughter Anna continued developing ego psychology.

1. 1856

   Born in Freiberg

   Family relocated to Vienna; he excelled in classical languages before entering medical school.

2. 1895

   Studies on Hysteria

   With Breuer, published case studies establishing cathartic talking therapy as treatment for hysteria.

3. 1900

   The Interpretation of Dreams

   Released his major work on dream analysis, initially selling poorly but eventually transforming psychology.

4. 1908

   First International Psychoanalytic Congress

   Gathered followers in Salzburg, institutionalizing psychoanalysis as a global movement.

5. 1939

   Death in London

   Died in exile after fleeing Nazi annexation of Austria; his daughter Anna continued developing ego psychology.

Freud altered how modern societies discuss desire, guilt, and mental illness, supplying vocabulary from 'Freudian slip' to 'defense mechanism.' Clinical psychoanalysis has been partly superseded by neuroscience and cognitive therapy, but his questions about hidden motivation continue to shape fiction, film, advertising, and the humanities.

Freud altered how modern societies discuss desire, guilt, and mental illness, supplying vocabulary from 'Freudian slip' to 'defense mechanism.' Clinical psychoanalysis has been partly superseded by neuroscience and cognitive therapy, but his questions about hidden motivation continue to shape fiction, film, advertising, and the humanities. Death in London (1939) remains a defining moment in Sigmund Freud's enduring reputation.