The Contributions of Sigmund Freud

The founder of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud was a physiologist, and medical doctor and a psychologist. During the span of his research in psychotherapy he was criticized by many who claimed his research was not science. Although it has been decades and Freud’s work has filled many of today’s psychology textbooks, there are contemporary critics who still question the legitimacy of Freud’s scientific work. Sigmund Freud’s achievements unlocked the unconscious and developed modern psychotherapy. Freud’s childhood was more than ordinary. The structure of his family may have been confusing to Freud as a child. His father was old enough to look like he could have been Freud’s grandfather and his half-brothers looked as if they were old enough to be Freud’s father (Anderson, 2001). Freud also experienced the death of his infant brother which may have distorted his early concept of life and death. Sigmund was always treated differently compared to his siblings. From the time of his birth she knew he was going to have a productive future. He was the only child to have his own room in where he studied constantly. He received the highest marks in his school and learned six languages at an early age. Freud was a shining star student.

When Freud entered medical school he wanted to study research, but the research program was too difficult to get into. In addition, Freud may have been discriminated against due to his Jewish decent. He settled for becoming a doctor. During this time, Freud began courting Martha Bernays, who was a friend of his sister. Freud was very prude and apprehensive when it came to romantic relationships. There were numerous accounts of love letters that Freud sent to Martha. One of his letters consisted ...

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...s critics dismissed his findings as illegitimate. Although he received negative attention, he continued to prove to his critics that his research was indeed valid. Today, Freud’s theories are studied at the university level by many college campuses across the world. A dream Freud never got to see come true during his lifetime.

Works Cited

Anderson, J. (2001). Sigmund Freud’s Life and Work: An Unofficial Guide to the Freud Exhibit. Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection, 29(9).

Billig, M. (1997). Freud and Dora: Repressing an Oppressed Identity. Theory Culture Society, 14(29),

Ellmann, R. (1984). Freud and Literary Biography. American Scholar, 53(4), 465-478.

Kaplan, R. (2010). Freud’s Excellent Adventure Down Under: The only publication in Australia by the founder of psychoanalysis. Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection, 16(3), 205-209