Sigmund Freud

Q: Where was Sigmund Freud educated?

After graduating (1873) from secondary school in Vienna, Sigmund Freud entered the medical school of the University of Vienna , concentrating on physiology and neurology ; he obtained a medical degree in 1881. He trained (1882–85) as a clinical assistant at the General Hospital in Vienna and studied (1885–86) in Paris under neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot .

Q: What did Sigmund Freud die of?

Sigmund Freud died of a lethal dose of morphine administered at his request by his friend and physician Max Schur. Freud had been suffering agonizing pain caused by an inoperable cancerous tumour in his eye socket and cheek. The cancer had begun as a lesion in his mouth that he discovered in 1923.

Q: What did Sigmund Freud write?

Sigmund Freud’s voluminous writings included The Interpretation of Dreams (1899/1900), The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1904), Totem and Taboo (1913), and Civilization and Its Discontents (1930).

Q: Why is Sigmund Freud famous?

Freud is famous for inventing and developing the technique of psychoanalysis ; for articulating the psychoanalytic theory of motivation, mental illness , and the structure of the subconscious ; and for influencing scientific and popular conceptions of human nature by positing that both normal and abnormal thought and behaviour are guided by irrational and largely hidden forces.

Austrian psychoanalyst

Written by Martin Evan Jay

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jul 23, 2025 • Article History

Quick Facts

Born:: May 6, 1856, Freiberg, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now Příbor, Czech Republic]

Died:: September 23, 1939, London, England (aged 83)

Founder:: psychoanalysis

On the Web:: Social Science LibreTexts - Sigmund Freud (July 23, 2025)

See all related content

Where was Sigmund Freud educated?

What did Sigmund Freud die of?

What did Sigmund Freud write?

Why is Sigmund Freud famous?

Sigmund Freud (born May 6, 1856, Freiberg, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now Příbor, Czech Republic]—died September 23, 1939, London, England) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis. (Read Sigmund Freud’s 1926 Britannica essay on psychoanalysis.) Freud may justly be called the most influential intellectual legislator of his age. His creation of psychoanalysis was at once a theory of the human psyche, a therapy for the relief of its ills, and an optic for the interpretation of culture and society. Despite repeated criticisms, attempted refutations, and qualifications of Freud’s work, its spell remained powerful well after his death and in ...(100 of 6857 words)

Unlock the full article

Access our trusted destination for facts and information

7-Day Free Trial, No Ads, Unlimited Access, Exclusive Content