Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). He was a pioneering Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. He was born on May 6, 1856, in Freiberg, Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), into a middle-class Jewish family. He attended the University of Vienna to study medicine and became interested in the work of French neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, who was investigating the use of hypnosis in the treatment of hysteria. This led Freud to begin exploring the relationship between the mind and the body and he eventually developed his own theories of psychoanalysis. His ideas began to gain popularity in the early 20th century as psychoanalysis became more widely recognized as a legitimate field of study. His theories also had a significant influence on art, literature and culture and he became a prominent figure in intellectual circles in Vienna and beyond.
