The Precursor Of Psychoanalysis And Dr. Josef Breuer

The precursor of psychoanalysis rooted from Dr. Sigmund Freud’s and Dr. Josef Breuer’s findings from the case of Anna O. Previously in the 19th century, very little was known about mental illness. In fact, patients suffering from a mental illness were imprisoned in asylums for the inhumane testing of barbaric treatments. Incidentally, it was once presumed that mental deficiencies were rooted from physical ailments. On the contrary, mental illness dwelled in the aspect of human’s not yet exposed, the psyche. With a collaboration of different viewpoints, Breuer and his young protà ©gà © Freud synthesized their knowledge to treat a patient suffering from hysteria, referred to as Anna O. Anna was a very unusual patient that â€Å"shuddered in agony and†¦show more content†¦Moreover, it is here where Freud has embraced the ability to psychoanalyze himself through a recollection of dreams kept from childhood. As a result, it was discovered that during a dre am the mind has the ability to express itself without the constraints faced in reality or societal standards. Dreams elude defense mechanisms and censorship to freely articulate the mind’s wishes to embrace more cynical, true desires. Indeed, it is emphasized that: â€Å"The virtuous man contents himself with dreaming that which the wicked man does in actual life.† By all means, an individual undoubtedly experiences immoral behavior in the safety of a dream, yet a deeper meaning is embedded. Freud enlightens to the meanings of dreams in two unambiguous fragments, the manifest content and the latent content. Specifically, the manifest content is an individual’s memory of the dream. The manifest content is thus the disguised desires of the unconscious mind. Specifically, these disguises are expressed by symbols, such as long, weapon-like symbols to personify males and hollow, box-like symbols to personify females. Whereas, the latent content is the unfeigned signi ficance of the dream actually fulfilling these forbidden desires. Each dream and its symbols are specific to the individual, further pressing Freud’s rejection of The Interpretation of Dreams to be a universal reference of dreams. Instead, an individual’s dream’s meaning can only be understood if theShow MoreRelatedA Short Account of Psychoanalysis - Freud, Sigmund6817 Words   |  28 Pagestogether - an incapacity which led to a disintegration (dissociation) of mental life. Psycho-analysis, however, was not in any way based on these researches of JanetÄ™s. The decisive factor in its case was the experience of a Viennese physician, Dr. Josef Breuer. In 1881, independently of any outside influence, he was able with the help of hypnosis to study and restore to health a highly-gifted girl who suffered from hysteria. BreuerÄ™s findings were not given to the public until fifteen years later,Read MoreAbnormal Psy Essay10046 Words   |  41 Pageshumane treatme nt and scientific inquiry into mental illness. D) viewed mentally ill persons as witches. Ans: A Difficulty: 1 Page: 10 37. Who is associated with creating more humane environments at mental hospitals? A) Joseph Breuer B) Philippe Pinel C) John Watson D) B.F. Skinner Ans: B Difficulty: 2 Page: 10 38. When first introduced as a more humane form of treatment, moral treatment was A) given to everyone who needed it. B) given to only white people