Sigmund Freud Case

Sigmund Freud

There are several figures who have influenced and helped develop the field of psychology. Some of the most common figures are those such as Wilhelm Wundt who opened the first psychological laboratory, Burrhus Skinner who studied behaviorism and founded operant conditioning, and William James who studied with functionalism. These men were all great in what they did, and they all had an impact on the field of psychology, but Sigmund Freud had one of the greatest impacts on the field. Freud was very influential in shaping psychological theories and perspectives (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, 2009, p. 12). In recent years his views have become less influential because of the fact that they were dark and pessimistic as well as untestable views. Regardless of the fact that his views are not really looked at in our world today as credible, he had a major impact on the study of psychology.

Freud was born on May 6, 1856 to Jacob and Amalia Freud. He died at the age of eighty-three on September 23, 1939. He spent most of his life living in Vienna and was home schooled by his parents up until they enrolled him in Spurling Gymnasium. At this school he ended up graduating first in his class with honors. In his adult years he married Martha Bernays, and together they had six children. He influenced one of his children, Anna Freud, to become a prominent psychologist. She has been given credit as the founder of child psychoanalysis (Cherry, 2011).

Freud studied medicine at the University of Vienna. He worked as a physician and gained interest in the study of hysteria(Cherry, 2011). One of Freud's very first studies was that of a patient with the name Anna O. She had multiple symptoms such as paralysis and a nervous cough. The treatment conducted by Freud caused the woman to recollect several traumatic circumstances, which were believed to contribute to her illness. Freud made the assumption that when Anna O was able to talk about these circumstances she began to feel relieved of the symptoms. The woman known as Anna O referred to the treatment as "the talking cure" (Cherry, 2011).

Freud's theories influenced the field of psychology in many ways, but most of his theories were usually criticized. Freud had six major theories that had a tremendous impact on the study of psychology. These major theories were defense mechanisms, life and death instincts, the conscious and unconscious mind, psychosexual development, the Freudian slip, and the Id, ego, and superego. Anxiety comes up in everyone's lives at people some point. Freud refers to the defense mechanism as the way that our body reacts to these anxieties by trying to overcome them. Freud believed that every person was born with certain life and death instincts. The life instincts involved things that humans need in order to sustain life such as reproduction, pleasure and basic survival. The death instincts are things