Psychology, which is a science that studies the human mind, has many different sub-branches. One of these branches, psychoanalysis, was founded by Sigmund Freud. According to Sigmund Freud, in the psychoanalysis system, which focuses on the solution of problems through dialogues between the patient and the specialist, what the patient pushes out of consciousness comes to light, and in fact, these are the patient’s most real state.
Sigmund Freud especially focused on the concept of sexuality and examined its effects on the human mind along with childhood. Let’s take a closer look at who Sigmund Freud is, who made radical determinations on repressed emotions, dreams and similar concepts, and let’s see some of his must-read books to understand his work.
The man who said that what makes us who we are is our unconscious; Who is Sigmund Freud?
Sigismund Schlomo Freud, with his full name, was born on May 6, 1856, in the Moravian region of the Austrian Empire, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family. He became a doctor of medicine in 1881, an associate professor in 1885, and a professor in 1902. He carried out many important clinical studies both during and after this period in Vienna.
He formed his psychoanalytic theory by using methods such as free association and analysis transfer. He evaluated sexuality and childhood processes together in the concept of the Oedipus complex. He said that dreams are an expression of our unconscious. He introduced the concept of libido as well as concepts such as id, ego, super ego.
The thoughts of Sigmund Freud, who also carried out studies on religion and culture in the later periods of his life, continue to be discussed both in his period and today. He began to live in exile by settling in England in 1939 due to the Nazi threat and died there on September 23 of the same year.
Some of the Sigmund Freud books you must read:
- Totem and Taboo
- Little Hans
- Every Man Is The Interpretation Of His Dream
- Mass Psychology and Ego Analysis
- The Unrest of Civilization
- Interpretation of dreams
- On Sexuality
- Ego and Id
- Psychopathology of Everyday Life
- Diary of a Young Girl
Rules of the Wild: Totem and Taboo
Described by Sigmund Freud as a work that will make people sleepless, Totem and Taboo, by his own definition, is about obsessive prohibitions that are important for primitive societies and savages. Throughout the work, the strict rules that emerged in the evolutionary process are examined and it is explained that they are similar in some way and that they emerged after traumatic events.
You can click here to review and purchase the Totem and Taboo book in more detail.
Development of a child’s phobia: Little Hans
Little Hans, with the subtitle of A Five-Year-Old Boy’s Phobia Analysis, is considered one of the most important works of the psychoanalysis world. In this work, Sigmund Freud breaks down many taboos and focuses on the concept of child sexuality. Throughout the work, we read the details of how the phobias of a five-year-old boy are formed due to family relationships.
You can click here to view and purchase the Little Hans book in more detail.
It touches the human soul: Every Human is the Interpretation of the Dream He/she sees
Sigmund Freud touches the soul of the human being by going very, very deep in his work, Every Human is the Interpretation of the Dream. The human consciousness, which has not been examined in such detail by any psychologist before, is evaluated together with the unconscious by going one step further by Freud, and of course, dreams in which suppressed emotions emerge are seen as the biggest proof of this.
You can click here to examine and purchase the book Every Man is the Interpretation of the Dream He/she Sees in more detail.
Problems of societies: Mass Psychology and Ego Analysis
Psychology is either focused on people or society. Sigmund Freud, on the other hand, examines these two seemingly different structures together in his work called Mass Psychology and Ego Analysis. While examining many different concepts such as ego, collective psychic life, contradiction, artificial mass, ego, we encounter a bold approach that we cannot easily see in anyone other than Freud.
You can click here to review and purchase the Mass Psychology and Ego Analysis book in more detail.
Animal civilization: The Restlessness of Civilization
In this work, Sigmund Freud shows that psychoanalysis, which is a method used to travel to the mental world of the individual, can actually solve the problems of societies. According to Freud, the fact that man, who is a being with animal instincts, cannot give up on civilization at the same time, cannot result in anything other than the uneasiness of civilization.
You can click here to review and purchase the Restlessness of Civilization book in more detail.
Emotions and mind: Interpretation of Dreams
The Interpretation of Dreams, the work in which Sigmund Freud first mentioned the Oedipus complex, makes a hard landing on the nature of dreams. Throughout the work, both Freud’s own dreams and the dreams of his patients are examined. By going down to the source of these, it is tried to reveal what kind of connection they have with our emotions and mind.
You can click here to review and purchase the Interpretation of Dreams book in more detail.
Revolutionary work: On Sexuality
On Sexuality is a kind of revolt against Sigmund Freud’s era. Because any work done in the field of sexuality was despised, until Freud. In this work, Freud says that sexuality is a process that starts from childhood and examines how it has changed from that period to adulthood.
You can click here to review and purchase the book On Sexuality in more detail.
A detailed examination: Ego and Id
The most important concepts put forward by Sigmund Freud are id, ego and super ego; The Ego and the Id are explored in depth in this work. Forming a spiral through concepts such as consciousness, unconscious and conscience at the center of the Oedipus complex, Freud picks up the instrument and begins to examine this process, which started from childhood, down to the smallest detail.
You can click here to review and purchase the Ego and Id book in more detail.
Made everyone know Freud: The Psychopathology of Everyday Life
Perhaps Sigmund Freud would not have been such a popular name without The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, because in this work he gives examples from people’s daily lives without bogging down on boring scientific terms. Focusing on small details that we often ignore, such as slips of the tongue and typos, Freud says they are actually a reflection of the unconscious.
You can click here to review and purchase the Psychopathology of Daily Life book in more detail.
Real events analyzed: Diary of a Teenage Girl
In his diary of a young girl, Sigmund Freud does a psychoanalysis that makes a lot of noise. The work is really about a girl’s diary. The experiences of a young girl are presented to the reader as a developmental process, with psychoanalytic studies based on periodical analysis.
You can click here to view and purchase the Diary of a Young Girl book in more detail.
We have listed some of the books you should read by answering the question of who is Sigmund Freud, who is considered the father of psychoanalysis and whose every word is discussed even today. You can share your thoughts about Sigmund Freud in the comments.