Josef Breuer
Josef Breuer (1842-1925) was an Austrian physician and physiologist known for his work in neurophysiology and as a forerunner of psychoanalysis. He treated Bertha Pappenheim (Anna O.) for hysteria by inducing her to recall past traumas under hypnosis, leading to the development of the cathartic method, or "talking cure," which influenced Sigmund Freud. Breuer collaborated with Freud on Studien über Hysterie (1895) before their theoretical disagreements ended their partnership. Breuer also made significant contributions to understanding the respiratory cycle and the sensory functions of the inner ear.
Life
Josef Breuer was born in Vienna, where his father taught religion in the Jewish community. After his mother's early death, he was raised by his grandmother and educated by his father until age eight. He graduated from the Akademisches Gymnasium of Vienna in 1858 and later from the University of Vienna's medical school in 1867. Working with Ewald Hering, Breuer demonstrated the role of the vagus nerve in respiratory reflexes, leading to the Hering-Breuer reflex. Independently, in 1873, Breuer and Ernst Mach discovered how balance is managed by fluid movement in the semicircular canals of the inner ear.
Anna O.
Josef Breuer is best known for his work with Bertha Pappenheim, known as Anna O., in the 1880s. He discovered that her symptoms of "hysteria" diminished after she described them to him, a process she called the "talking cure" or "cathartic method." Breuer's work with Anna O. influenced his protégé, Sigmund Freud, who later developed psychoanalysis. They co-authored Studies in Hysteria in 1895, which documented their discussions and case studies. Breuer emphasized multiple factors in hysteria, while Freud focused on sexual conflict as a cause. Their differing views led to estrangement. Breuer was later elected a Corresponding Member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences in 1894.
Criticism and Controversy
Josef Breuer's cathartic method, foundational to psychoanalysis, was never used by him again after treating Anna O. There is controversy over why he stopped practicing psychological care. Some suggest it was due to Anna O.'s feelings of sexual attraction towards him, but historical research disputes this. It is more likely Breuer stopped because he disagreed with Freud on the nature of recovered memories of child sexual abuse—Freud saw them as real memories, while Breuer saw them as fantasies. By 1895, these disagreements ended their collaboration. Critics of Freud later argued that his methods could lead to false memories of abuse.
Works
- Über den psychischen Mechanismus hysterischer Phänomene (with Sigmund Freud, 1893): Preliminary communication on the psychological mechanisms of hysterical phenomena.
- Studien über Hysterie (with Sigmund Freud, 1895): Foundational work on hysteria that became crucial to the development of psychoanalysis.
- Curriculum vitae (1923): An autobiographical account of his life and work.
- Ein telepathisches Dokument (1924): Discusses a telepathic document.
- Neue Versuche an den Ohrbogengängen (1889): New experiments on the semicircular canals.
- Über Galvanotropismus bei Fischen (1902): Investigates galvanotropism in fish.
- Studien über den Vestibularapparat (1903): Studies on the vestibular apparatus.
- Über das Gehörorgan der Vögel (1907): Examines the hearing organ in birds.
- Über Ewald's Versuch mit dem pneumatischen Hammer (1908): Discusses Ewald’s experiment with the pneumatic hammer.
- Zur Lehre vom Wundfieber (with Rudolf Chrobak, 1867): Experimental study on wound fever.
- Über die scheinbare Drehung des Gesichtsfeldes während der Einwirkung einer Centrifugalkraft (with Alois Kreidl, 1898): Studies the apparent rotation of the visual field under the influence of centrifugal force.
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