Sigmund Freud is one of the most widely known of psychologists of all time and is often attributed as being one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. Though he himself didn't invent the idea of a continuously active unconscious mind, he is credited with popularizing the concept, one which would be centrally influential during the 20th century. Freud's theories and his establishment of psychoanalysis would change the way we view development and motivation. It would encourage us to look deeper within ourselves beyond what we are consciously aware of in pursuit of true understanding of our minds and how they work.
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In 1885, before Freud became the man we know him as today, he was an intern at the General Hospital of Vienna specializing in nervous diseases. Mental illness as a whole during the 19th century was very much so a grey area in the field of medical study; The general belief among many (seemingly) knowledgeable doctors of the time suggested that nervous diseases like hysteria were caused by physical damages to the nerves. However, when Freud's intellectual interest in a man named Jean Charcot brought him to Paris, his concept of the mind would be forever changed. Charcot was the authority in the field of neuropathology of his time, a true master of medicine and a universal celebrity. His work spanned many different fields but he is most commonly recognized today for his breakthroughs in hysteria and similar disorders, specifically by way of hypnosis. In October of 1885, Freud left for Paris to study at the Salpetriere Hospital where Charcot had a neurological clinic. Charcot's patients’ showed varying symptoms of hysteria such as loss of speech, coughing, hiccuping and even paralysis. Upon hypnosis, patients physical symptoms would seem to disappear. Charcot’s practice demonstrated to Freud the idea of physical symptoms as manifestations of a certain state within the mind rather than damage to the physical brain or nerves. It seemed almost as if Charcot was tapping into a “secret” part of the mind, beyond what each patient could consciously reach or control themselves. This is when Freud realized that maybe this second part of the mind could be at the root of these disorders; a disease could be caused by an idea buried deep where it can't be reached, the unconscious. Charcot called this “the second mind” and came to the conclusion that hidden in this second mind lay the buried memories of traumatic past events which caused the patient to display outwardly symptoms; not from the physical incident but rather from the idea of it engraved into their mind. Since these memories had been long buried, they had become stuck in the unconscious where the victim could no longer have control over their influence.
Soon after his return from Paris, Freud set up his own private study in Vienna. Here, he began experimenting with hypnosis on hysterical patients, but did not find the same success that Charcot had, so he continued to test other methods. After some trial and error, Freud found a method that seemed to show potential; one similar to that of another famous psychologist of the time, Josef Breuer: “The Talking Method”. Breuer used the talking method on one of the most well known patients and psychological history: Anna O. Anna O was a woman who showed various symptoms of hysteria, paralysis, vision problems, an aversion to food and speaking difficulties; Breuer brought her into his office and used a method she nicknamed “chimney sweeping” where he would ask her many questions about her symptoms as well as her past. The questions would eventually dig deep into Anna’s unconscious and would allow her and her doctor to pinpoint the memories that seemed to be tormenting her from deep within. She “sweeped” away the dust of time by bringing this trauma which had long been buried back into consciousness by way of recounting each event; as each memory came back into the light her symptoms would seem to vanish like the demons from her past had finally set her free. Freud’s experimentation with this method and others would not only help him cure many patients, it would also make him think about the mind further. His patient study would open his eyes to a part of the self buried very deep within, a part where all kinds of hidden memories of the past, repressed feelings and emotions and intentions lived, the unconscious mind.
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Freud's most important contribution was his theory of the presence of a dynamic unconscious which he claimed could lead to mental illness, dreams, slips of the tongues etc. Freud would explain the mind in terms of an iceberg. At the tip of the iceberg was the conscious mind, the place where conscious decisions are made like recognizing that you are hungry and choosing to get food. This is the part of the mind that we are constantly aware of, where our immediate thoughts and ideas are present. Just below the tip of the iceberg lives the preconscious or subconscious. Here, thoughts that we are not currently receptive of wait to be called into awareness, things like a phone number or an address that live between preconsciousness and consciousness. Mild emotional experiences may sometimes take up residence in the preconscious, but powerful or traumatic negative ones are often hidden in the unconscious. Finally, at the very bottom of the iceberg is the unconscious mind. Some events and desires are too frightening or painful to be recalled, these are locked away in the unconscious by way of repression. Unconscious motivation dictates us to do things that we may not understand or be able to explain. Sometimes you may like someone and not know why or argue adamantly for a cause you might not feel so strongly about, these things happen because of unconscious motivation. According to Freud, the majority of human behavior happens as a result of desires, impulses, and memories hidden beyond the reach of the consciousness, yet still influence action and decision.