Sigmund Freud, known as the father of psychoanalysis, was one of the most influential figures in the history of psychology. His life was marked by a series of events and curiosities that made him an iconic figure in the field of psychology. Below, we present 10 curiosities about the life of Sigmund Freud that will surely surprise you.
1. Childhood and family
Sigmund Freud was born on May 6, 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, in what is now the Czech Republic. He was the oldest of eight children and grew up in a middle-class Jewish family. His father, Jacob Freud, was a wool merchant and his mother, Amalia Nathansohn, was a cultured and loving woman. The relationship with his mother had a great impact on his psychological development and on the theory of the Oedipus complex that he would later develop.
2. Freud's dream
Freud was passionate about the world of dreams and dedicated much of his work to them. One of Freud's most famous dreams was the dream of Irma's injection, which played a crucial role in the development of his theory of dream interpretation. This dream obsessed him for years and led him to delve deeper into the meaning of dreams and their relationship with the unconscious.
3. The importance of slips
Freud believed that failed acts, such as slips of the tongue or forgetfulness, were manifestations of the unconscious and revealed repressed desires. He himself experienced numerous failed acts throughout his life and used them as a source of inspiration for his research. It is said that Freud used to analyze his own lapses and those of his colleagues to discover the unconscious conflicts underlying them.
4. Freud's phobia
Despite being considered the father of psychoanalysis, Freud suffered from a very particular phobia: he was afraid of ferns. It is said that Freud experienced an intense feeling of anguish when he saw a fern plant in a kindergarten when he was a child, which caused this irrational fear that accompanied him throughout his life. Some psychoanalysts have interpreted this phobia as a symbol of their own fears and internal conflicts.
5. Freud's Tobacco
Freud was a heavy smoker and spent much of his day surrounded by tobacco smoke. It is said that he smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day, even during his analysis sessions with his patients. Tobacco became an integral part of his life and some psychoanalysts have suggested that his smoking habit could be related to his theories about the death instinct and the drive for self-preservation.
6. Freud's totem and taboo
Freud was the author of numerous works that addressed controversial and revolutionary topics for his time. One of his most controversial books was "Totem and Taboo", in which Freud analyzed the relationships between culture, religion and psychology. In this work, Freud explored the notion of totemism and its implications for human development, as well as the interaction between the individual and society.
7. The relationship with Jung
One of the most fascinating aspects of Freud's life was his relationship with Carl Gustav Jung, another prominent psychoanalyst of the time. . Initially, Freud saw Jung as his successor and considered him his "crown prince" in the field of psychoanalysis. However, theoretical and personal differences between the two led to a rupture in their relationship, which had a profound impact on the development of psychoanalysis as a discipline.
8. The Interpretation of Dreams
One of Freud's most influential works was "The Interpretation of Dreams", published in 1900. In this book, Freud presented his revolutionary theory on the meaning of dreams and its relationship with the unconscious. Through the analysis of clinical cases and his own dreams, Freud demonstrated the importance of dreams as a vehicle to access repressed desires and psychological conflicts.
9. The Oedipus complex
Another of Freud's most important contributions was the formulation of the concept of the Oedipus complex, based on the Greek tragedy of Oedipus the King. According to Freud, all children universally experience an unconscious desire toward the parent of the opposite sex and a rivalry with the parent of the same sex. This concept was fundamental in the development of psychoanalytic theory and had a lasting impact on the understanding of human psychology.
10. Legacy and recognition
Freud died on September 23, 1939 in London, where he had taken refuge after the Nazi occupation of Vienna. Despite the criticism and controversies that surrounded his work, Freud is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century and his legacy endures in psychology and contemporary culture. His impact on the understanding of the unconscious, dreams and psychological processes remains relevant today and his figure continues to be the object of study and debate in the scientific community.