Sigmund Freud (psychohistory)

Sigmund Freud was a pioneering psychologist who developed psychoanalysis, a method for exploring the unconscious mind’s influence on behavior. He believed that much of our mental life operates beneath awareness, shaped by early childhood experiences, latent desires, and internal conflicts. Freud introduced concepts like the id, ego, and superego to explain personality structure, and emphasized that unresolved issues in the unconscious can cause psychological symptoms. His work laid the foundation for understanding how hidden motives and past experiences impact thoughts, emotions, and actions, influencing both clinical practice and broader cultural perceptions of human behavior.