Sigmund Freud: A Life from Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Sigmund Freud * * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. Sigmund Freud was a catalyst who signaled a seat change in how humanity came to understand the world and how it relates to the human mind. And if you have ever had a “Freudian slip,” you know full well that the concepts and theories of Mr. Freud are well ensconced in the modern lexicon. But as much as many of us are familiar with his work, what about the man? What do we know about the person? Just who was Sigmund Freud? Inside you will read about... ✓ A Jewish Family in Vienna ✓ The Talking Cure ✓ The Wednesday Society ✓ Working for Potatoes ✓ The Cancer and the Monster ✓ Freud During World War II And much more!

Genres: Biography, History, Psychology, Nonfiction, Ebooks

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2018

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for providing an enjoyable outline of Freud's life, or to augment books more focussed on his psychoanalytic work.   I'm going to give a fairly plodding description of it here, as that is what I'd like to have for future reference.....

Sigmund was born in 1856 in the Czech Republic - and his family moved to Vienna in 1860. Twenty years later he qualified as a medical doctor - and fairly soon after that his interest in psychiatry began to dominate his interests.   This was especially so when he came under the wing of Jopseph Breuer, who in many ways became his mentor and sponsor.  Breuer was treating a number of patients for anxiety, which he described as hysteria....and he and Freud developed a method of what they called "cathartic talk" or "free association" which they felt enabled these patients to explore their subconscious problems. and "talk it out of themselves."   Ideally it was hoped they would find cathartic relief in these sessions.

Freud  seemed to be open about sex pretty well from the start, telling colleagues that he had lost physical interest in his wife shortly after marrying her, and writing to a friend  ""Sexual excitement too, is no longer of use for someone like me.”   He often openly discussed his own psychological foibles as well as those of his patients.  

One patient became particularly important in his life, and I think she justifies a generous extract from the book....

"....in the fall of 1892, one patient in particular caught Freud’s attention in his efforts to refine this method.   Her name was Ilona Weiss, but she would forever be known in the annals of Sigmund Freud under the code name of Fraulein Elisabeth von R. Freud was forward in both his treatment and analysis of Fraulein. As was typical of Freud with most of his female patients, he was quick to declare that much of her problems came from sexual repression. This was apparently deduced during a physical exam in which after the uninhibited Freud pinched the girl’s bare thigh he received what he believed to be a“pleasurable” response. As Freud stated in his notations on the event, “Her face assumed a peculiar expression, one of pleasure rather than of pain; she cried out—somewhat, I could not help thinking, as with a voluptuous tickling—her face flushed, she threw back her head, closed her eyes, her trunk bent backward.” Freud believed that his simple little pinch was allowing this distressed girl to finally satisfy the sexual desires that she had suppressed so long. Most experts in the field of psychology today would quickly dismiss such reaching interpretations, but for Freud, such perceptions often seemed to equate solid evidence. He believed he was making a breakthrough in his pioneering field of psychoanalysis. With these first observations of Elisabeth made, Freud then set about curing her inhibition and repression by talking it out of her system. He engaged in free association."Using this technique Freud felt he was learning how to "push back against psychological barriers and resistance".   He would keep pushing/asking questions until his patients provided feedback."

In 1895, he analysed one of his own dreams, and in 1899 "The Interpretation of Dreams" was published. Nine years later, The first congress of "Freudian Psychology" took place, followed shortly by the founding of the International Psychoanalytical Association.

The First World War started, and it took a tough toll on Austria.   At first Freud was fiercely supportive of his country going to war, but as time went on and he saw the number of casualties he became much more concerned, especially as his oldest son was fighting. 
 
Meanwhile he had developed a tumour on his jaw and the roof of his mouth. It was operated on in 1923.   Quite a lot of the book speaks about the hugely unpleasant experiences and operations Freud had in dealing with this cancer, which lasted several years before finally killing him.   It had been triggered by smoking.   More than anything else I read in this book - it was the description of his journey with this cancer that had the most impact.

Over the following years, animosity towards Jewish people was growing.   For a long time Freud ignored it, despite the warnings of various friends in Europe.   In 1938 Austria was annexed to the Third Reich, and it was only at this last minute that Freud and his family escaped to Britain, with the help of Ernest Jones, an old work colleague living in London. Regrettably though, by this stage Freud's cancer had progressed badly, and he died in 1939, at the hand of his beloved daughter Anna, who gave him an overdose of morphine.

I thought this book was outstandingly good - a wonderfully short and readable encapsulation of Freud's life.

[Harry Trumfio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Freud life, his theories (especially "talk therapy") and an illness that plagued him in his later years. One may wonder if it influenced his thinking about religion and civilization. Highly recommend this read for anyone who would like to learn more about this man's theories, his acceptance in society and his life in general.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read quite a few of these "Hourly Histories." Some are better than others but this biography on Sigmund Freud is more inferior than others. It is only the bare facts of Freud's personal life, nothing about Freud's theories on the ego and the id and the superego (theories that Freud is quite well known for although I don't agree with Freud's ideas.) This biography sometimes focused on negative aspects of Freud's life ( such as whether Freud thought his father was a coward and Freud may have had an affair with his sister-in-law.) I felt that it was unnecessary to put in those negative aspects if they can not be proven as fact. Most all of the other Hourly Histories have a final chapter as a conclusion, sort of a re-statement of the main facts of the book that brings it all together and wraps it up with final thoughts. Not this book. It ends very abruptly, stating how Freud died and then the book suddenly ends. And this Hourly History is shorter than many of the others. It left me wondering if parts of this Kindle version were missing?

[D. Thrush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is part of the Hourly History series that can be read in about an hour. Freud was a brilliant man who brought “talking it out” psychoanalysis into the mainstream. In this book, we learn about his childhood, how he came to this field and managed to introduce it to the world, how his family had to flee the Nazis, and how he died painfully from a cancerous tumor in his mouth from smoking cigars. I would’ve liked this book to delve a bit more into his controversial theories. Otherwise, an interesting book about a fascinating man whose influence we still feel today.

[Miltiadis Michalopoulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

το βιβλίο είναι ακριβώς αυτό που γράφει ο τίτλος του: "Σίγκμουντ Φρόυντ, η ζωή του από την αρxή ως το τέλος της". Διαβάζεται πολύ εύκολα και φυσικά το τελείωσα μέσα σε μια ώρα (όσο δηλαδή "προβλέπεται" από τους δημιουργούς της σειράς). Δυστυχώς περιέχει ελάχιστα πράγματα για το ψυχαναλυτικό έργο του μεγάλου δασκάλου. Περίμενα (κακώς) κάτι περισσότερο ...

[Butterfly2507 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm usually a big fan of thee "hourly history" books as you know but this one was the worst so far. It didn't focus at all on what Sigmund Freud has done but more on his parents.

[Ron Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enigma of Sigmund Freud

A great read about the one man who started psychoanalysis. Freud's childhood, parents and siblings had a great influence upon him. Surprisingly, as his children aged and left home he suffered great depression. Freud was influenced by atheism and evolution. I'll not include a spoiler about his death, but it's worth exploring. I recommend this story to learn so much more about Freud than one's superficial beliefs about this great man.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

You think you know a historical figure. You think you know what they were about and what they stood for. Then you read something like this. What an incredible piece. Mind? BLOWN.

[Ashwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good short ebook by hourly history.

Sigmund Freud. The father of psychoanalysis developed the new method of analysis called free association so as to manifest a cathartic release. He delved deep into these concepts which are now the pillars of modern psychiatry.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

I highly recommend this story of this man’s like and interaction with other. Not so much detail in his theories, but the man and his relationship with those around him. Read On!

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet

This book is more about Freud himself than his work. It's so short it doesn't really do the subject justice. You don't really get the feeling that it's a book about a great man.

[Book hoarder · Rating 5 out of 5]

He had an interesting few on religion, which made him despised by Jews and Christians. Naïve in his expectations of Nazi Germany. Suffered from cancer in his mouth. His beloved daughter Anna gave him an overdose of morphine, which caused his death.

[Cheryl (Super Slump) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 2.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 3 🌟.

Written fluently, this was however disappointing in that there were some inaccuracies in stated facts as well as Freud's major theory of the Id and the Ego that were not even mentioned. 🙄

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis and sometimes referred to as the father of modern psychology is a controversial figure.

This enjoyable and concise book talks about his life and the process and work that led up to his technique.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

sometimes just a cigar

This is an interesting biography of Freud. He was and is an important figure in the study of the mind. I did not know very much about him, but this book added to what I knew.

[Ruby Khaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

Very short, yet sufficient biography of the famous psychoanalyst whom we may have read a lot about his work but nothing about his personal life. The book is to the point. For someone who doesn’t have much time yet love reading, this book is excellent.

[George Luft · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit to thin.

This book is true to the definition of from beginning to end. The story just ends when he died and makes no mention of his works on a whole.

[Brandie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave a lot of information on Sigmund Freud life as a child until adult hood, also his works from begining to His Death

[Nirav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting narrative of Freud's life. Sometimes, knowing the person behind the theories gives a deeper understanding of the work itself.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Brief Biography

This Biography of Freud is stale, stiff and a bit lacking a few interesting moments from his life but not enough

[🌸Andreea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think is waaay more to his life/work than what is written in this ‘book’. However, it was a good read 👍🏻

[Maran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missing connections

Yes. This is too light. Some of the important connections are missing i feel. Even failed to have an impact.

[Hayleigh Marie Whitelock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short book on an interesting person. This book gives an overview and information about Freud's life, theories (some if course controversial yet fascinating concepts) and books.

[nickwalbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read.

A short history of Freud, well researched and very interesting. A book taking about the man and his family rather than his theories and his beliefs.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, but learned some new things so worthwhile.

[Lily-Mae B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book delved into more of his theories and works. Other than that, it was a great introduction to Sigmund Freud