Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. Born in 1856 in Příbor, Moravia, Freud studied medicine at the University of Vienna and was particularly interested in the human mind and behavior. After exploring hypnotism and brain anatomy, he discovered the power of psychoanalysis in treating mental illnesses, and in 1902, he opened the first psychoanalytic clinic in Vienna. Freud’s theories and concepts, such as the Oedipus complex, the unconscious mind, and the defense mechanisms, have had a profound impact on psychology and popular culture. However, some of his ideas have been criticized as being sexist, unscientific, and too focused on the individual rather than the social context. Freud died in 1939 in London, where he had fled to escape from the Nazis in Austria.
