Freud's 'Studies on Hysteria'

The subject matter of this essay is to summarise the last chapter of Freud’s Studies on Hysteria published in 1895. In order to do so, however, the book needs to be put in context. Some information concerning Freud’s life and his theories will be mentioned to make the essay more comprehensible.

As a starting point, it is worth mentioning that Freud’s educational background was neither psychiatry nor psychology. He specialised in neurology and until the year 1885 it was his main scientific interest. However, two events in Freud’s life dramatically shifted his attention towards psychotherapy. During his stay in Paris in 1885 he became acquainted with Charcot, a physician in Pathological Laboratory at the Salpetriere. At that time Charcot diagnosed mental illnesses and recognised hysteria as being a genuine disease rather than just an escape disorder. He also used hypnotism to facilitate his treatment of hysteria patients (Gay, 1993). Freud, fascinated by Charcot’s personality as well as his genius as a scientist and a lecturer, set off on his own journey into the investigation of the mind.

Dr Josef Breuer was another influential figure that brought Freud closer towards the study of mental processes. Breuer was a Viennese consultant who had experience in treating patients suffering from hysteria using hypnosis. Freud started to work together with Breuer and commenced treating patients himself (Strachey, 1991). From that moment onwards, his professional life revolved around discovering theories of mental processes on the basis of his practice as a psychoanalyst. It was together with Breuer that Freud wrote Studies on Hysteria in 1895. The book was considered to be a foundation for the work on psychoanalysis.

This essay will look closely at the content of the fourth chapter of Studies on Hysteria entitled Psychotherapy of Hysteria. The chapter written solely by Freud describes in detail a therapeutic method employed in treating hysteria patients. The chapter is...