Sigmund Freud (psychoanalysis)

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a method for treating mental illness and understanding human behavior. He proposed that our thoughts and actions are influenced by unconscious desires and childhood experiences. Freud introduced concepts such as the id (instinctual drives), ego (realistic self), and superego (moral conscience). He emphasized the importance of dreams and free association in uncovering repressed thoughts. Freud's ideas have profoundly impacted psychology, art, and culture, though many aspects of his theory remain debated and critiqued in contemporary psychology.