Beyond the Pleasure Principle

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was an Austrian psychoanalyst who is considered to be the founder of modern psychology. In 1881, he became a Doctor of Medicine after completing his program at the University of Vienna. However, it was not until 1885 that the young doctor began to turn his attention toward psychoanalysis. While on a three-month fellowship in Paris, Freud visited a hypnotist who inspired him to bring hypnosis back to his own clinical practice.

Freud’s focus on therapeutic techniques was a shift from his contemporaries, who sought to categorize and name mental conditions rather than understand how to treat them. He used the techniques of free association and dream interpretation to engage his patients in uncovering the repressed desires and traumas residing in the unconscious. His work led him to develop a theory of the psyche containing three parts: id, ego, and superego. In his early work, Freud emphasized the role of the libido in driving human behavior toward pleasure-seeking. After setting up a private practice in Vienna, Freud worked with patients to interpret their dreams and uncover the repressed drives of the unconscious.