The "mother" of psychoanalytic theory is widely considered to be Sigmund Freud.
While Freud's work was built upon and expanded by many other prominent figures in the field, such as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Melanie Klein, and Anna Freud, it was Freud who laid the foundational groundwork for the development of psychoanalysis. He established key concepts like:
- The unconscious mind: Freud proposed that our behavior is influenced by unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories that we are not directly aware of.
- The id, ego, and superego: These are the three parts of the psyche that Freud believed drive our behavior.
- Defense mechanisms: These are unconscious strategies that we use to protect ourselves from anxiety and stress.
- Psychosexual stages of development: Freud theorized that our personality develops through a series of stages, each focused on a different erogenous zone.
Freud's ideas have been both praised and criticized over the years, but his influence on psychology and our understanding of the human mind remains undeniable.
