It would be completely fair to say that without Sigmund Freud and his work the subject of psychology would not exist as a medical and academic discipline. His work on psychoanalysis still remains prominent and influential some 100 years after his death. Our understanding of how we treat people in need of mental health assistance is shaped in part by his work. You only have to look at Mental Health Training Courses from a provider like https://www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-courses/ to see this is the case.
Freud was born in Austria. When he came into the world the age of the Empire was failing and the Austro-Hungarian one was no exception to the rule. In fact it was in a greater decline than most. Freud graduated in neuropathology. This is the study and treatment of the body’s nervous system. Huge advances in medical understanding had been made during the late 1800s and the early twentieth century. The causes of illness and disease were becoming clear, the issue was how to treat them.
He began to theories about our subconscious and how dreams are wish fulfilment of it. He also established a cycle of child development that remains much criticised to this day. However he also offers help in his theories on psychoanalysis and dream interpretation plus the concept of the id, ego and Superego explaining how our personalities interact. Being a Jew, Freud was forced out of Austria after it joined with Germany and allowed the Nazis into the country. He died just at the start of the Second World War.
