Sigmund Freud: Personality Theory and Psychoanalysis

Introduction: Freud's Intellectual Formation

Sigmund Freud's period of study alongside French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot assisted him greatly in understanding the human mind. Charcot was at his professional peak when he met Freud and did not hesitate to share much of his personal work, including his research on hypnosis. Through studying hypnosis, Freud discovered that it is possible for people's behavior to be influenced by the hypnotist's words. Charcot also introduced Freud to the study of hysteria — a condition that had generally been considered characteristic of women — and its ability to affect any individual regardless of gender.

Although the time he spent with Charcot influenced him greatly, Freud was determined to learn more about the unconscious and went on to examine it with the help of one of Charcot's adversaries, Hippolyte Bernheim. Bernheim extended the use of hypnosis further by having people perform various tasks after being hypnotized. He could also influence people into remembering episodes of their lives that they had previously been unable to recall.

Freud was drawn into the world of psychoanalysis largely through his relationship with Dr. Joseph Breuer, who influenced Freud in developing a personality theory. Breuer's techniques were essential in fueling Freud's interest in the field. Breuer's experience with the controversial patient known as Anna O. had a strong effect on Freud, and together the two men became actively engaged in determining the cause of the woman's intriguing condition. Through employing hypnosis to investigate Anna's medical condition, Freud and Breuer discovered that the apparently inexplicable cause of her hysteria was related to the traumas she experienced while nursing her ill father. Their collaboration resulted in the 1895 manuscript Studies on Hysteria, which took the world by surprise by introducing the concept that people's behavior is dictated by a series of unconscious processes. Although it did not receive positive reviews in its early years, the book later came to be recognized as one of the most important documents in the field.

The Austrian psychoanalyst worked with a number of other individuals engaged in studying human behavior and its influences, and came to be one of the field's most prominent representatives. Studies on Hysteria is generally credited with starting the psychoanalytical movement. His second book, The Interpretation of Dreams, was issued as a result of his efforts to perform self-analysis and received a similarly lukewarm reception initially. Nevertheless, it was most probably this book that led Freud and the concept of psychoanalysis to gain wider appreciation in the world of psychology. After conducting studies on various patients, on his family, and even on himself, Freud reached the conclusion that human personality is generally shaped by organic instincts, with the unconscious being primarily responsible for motivating people's actions.