Teaching

The Fundamentals of Psychoanalysis

In the course his lifetime, Freud analyzed more than 130 patients. The six most famous are introduced here: Anna O., Dora, Little Hans, the Rat Man, Daniel Paul Schreber, and the Wolf Man. Strange as many of the situations described here may seem, they mustn't allow us to lose track of the focus of Freud's work: the world of early childhood experience. An individual's fantasies and ideas cannot be generalized, and, in contrast to traditional medicine, psychoanalysis can offer no objective diagnoses.

Freud developed his theory based on his work with patients. This gave rise to a conceptual system that represents a unique attempt to bridge the divide between mind and body, between biology and culture. These concepts cannot be separated from the historical context in which they were formulated, and one must be prepared to constantly reevaluate them - just as Freud did throughout his life.