Sigmund Freud
Austrian neurologist who elaborated on the uncanny in his 1919 essay "Das Unheimliche."
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Sigmund Freud (born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist who founded psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychological conflicts through dialogue between patient and analyst, along with a corresponding theory of mind. In developing psychoanalysis, Freud introduced techniques including free association, dream interpretation, and the analysis of transference phenomena arising in therapy. He redefined sexuality to encompass infantile stages, leading him to formulate the Oedipus complex as a central concept. His analysis of dreams as wish fulfillments provided models for understanding symptom formation and the mechanisms of repression. On this basis, Freud elaborated his theory of the unconscious and developed a model of psychic structure comprising the id, ego, and superego. He postulated the existence of libido, a sexualized psychic energy that invests mental processes and structures, generating erotic attachments, as well as a death drive underlying compulsive repetition, hate, aggression, and neurotic guilt. In his later work, Freud offered wide-ranging interpretations and critiques of religion and culture. Though less prevalent in modern diagnosis and clinical practice, psychoanalysis remains influential within psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy, and the humanities, continuing to generate debate about its therapeutic efficacy, scientific status, and its relationship to feminism. Nonetheless, Freud’s work has deeply permeated contemporary Western thought and popular culture. Born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents in Freiberg, Moravia (now Příbor, Czech Republic), Freud was the first of eight children. His father Jakob, a wool merchant, had two sons from a previous marriage; his mother Amalia was twenty years younger. The family moved to Leipzig and then Vienna in 1860. Freud excelled at school, graduating with honors, and entered the University of Vienna at seventeen, studying philosophy, physiology, and zoology. After medical graduation in 1881, he worked at Vienna General Hospital, publishing influential papers on cocaine and aphasia, and was appointed a lecturer in neuropathology in 1885.
- field
- Neurology, psychoanalysis
- nationality
- Austrian
- known_for
- Founder of psychoanalysis, theory of the unconscious, Oedipus complex, id/ego/su
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Lore & Background
Sigmund Freud elaborated on the concept of the uncanny in his 1919 essay "Das Unheimliche" or "The Uncanny." In this essay, he drew on the work of E. T. A. He focused on how the anxiety of their loss is not unlike male castration anxiety. He continued, explaining how this anxiety may lead a male audience, robbed of their masculinity, feeling the uncanny. Their masculinity being robbed provided Freud the foundation to illustrate a central contributor to male fear. Freud went on, for the remainder of the essay, to identify uncanny effects that result from instances of "repetition of the same thing," linking the concept to that of the repetition compulsion. He included incidents wherein one becomes lost and accidentally retraces one's steps, and instances wherein random numbers recur, seemingly meaningfully. He also discussed the uncanny nature of Otto Rank's concept of the "double." Freud specifically related an aspect of the uncanny derived from German etymology. By contrasting the German adjective unheimlich with its base word heimlich ("concealed, hidden, in secret"), he proposed that social taboo often yields an aura not only of pious reverence but even more so of horror and even disgust. He noted: "What is heimlich thus comes to be unheimlich." He also quoted Schelling: "According to him, everything is unheimlich that ought to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light."
Reader's Guide
Freud's 1919 essay "Das Unheimliche" is a key text for understanding the uncanny. In it, he argued that the uncanny is located in the strangeness of the ordinary. He criticized Jentsch's focus on the doll Olympia in Hoffmann's "The Sandman," instead emphasizing the theme of being robbed of one's eyes as a more striking instance of uncanniness, linking it to male castration anxiety. Freud identified uncanny effects from the "repetition of the same thing," such as accidentally retracing one's steps or recurring numbers, connecting this to the repetition compulsion. He also discussed the uncanny nature of the "double" as developed by Otto Rank. Freud's analysis of the German words heimlich and unheimlich showed that heimlich can mean both "familiar and agreeable" and "concealed and kept out of sight," so that unheimlich is the contrary only of the first signification. He quoted Schelling's definition: "everything is unheimlich that ought to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light." After Freud, Jacques Lacan, in his 1962–1963 seminar "L'angoisse" ("Anxiety"), used the Unheimlich "via regia" to enter into the territory of Angst. Lacan showed how the same image that seduces the subject may suddenly show that it is dependent on something, some hidden object, and so the subject may grasp that he is not autonomous.
Did You Know?
- Freud considered E. T. A. Hoffmann the 'unrivaled master of the uncanny in literature.'
- Freud argued that the anxiety of losing one's eyes in Hoffmann's 'The Sandman' is linked to male castration anxiety.
- Freud identified uncanny effects from the 'repetition of the same thing,' such as accidentally retracing one's steps or recurring numbers.
- Freud noted that the German word heimlich can mean both 'familiar and agreeable' and 'concealed and kept out of sight,' so that unheimlich is its opposite only in the first sense.
- Freud quoted Schelling's definition of the uncanny: 'everything is unheimlich that ought to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sigmund Freud?
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who created psychoanalysis, a therapeutic approach built on the idea that much of human thought operates below conscious awareness. He is widely regarded as the architect of modern talk therapy.
What are Sigmund Freud's key ideas?
He proposed that the mind is split into id, ego, and superego, and that unresolved childhood conflicts—exemplified by the Oedipus complex—shape adult behavior. His clinical tools, such as free association and dream analysis, remain cornerstones of therapeutic practice.
What do the id, ego, and superego mean?
Freud's structural model describes the id as the seat of primal urges, the ego as the pragmatic mediator that balances those urges against reality, and the superego as the internalized voice of conscience and social rules.
Why is Sigmund Freud still talked about?
His insistence that the unconscious drives much of our behavior opened up entirely new ways to study the mind, leaving fingerprints on psychology, psychiatry, literature, film, and everyday language. Even critics who reject specific Freudian claims often build their work in reaction to his framework.
When and where did Sigmund Freud live?
Born on 6 May 1856, he spent the bulk of his career practicing and writing in Vienna, Austria, and passed away on 23 September 1939.
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