Chapter 2    Freud: Psychoanalysis27
fei75766_ch02_019-071.indd 27  02/19/20 08:59 AMalmost secretive friendships. Most ofthese deeply emotional relationships came toan
unhappy end,andFreud often feltpersecuted byhisformer friends andregarded them 
asenemies. Heseemed tohaveneeded bothtypes ofrelationships. InInterpretation 
of Dreams, Freud bothexplained andpredicted thissuccession ofinterpersonal rup-
tures: “Myemotional lifehasalways insisted thatIshould haveanintimate friend and
ahated enemy. Ihavealways been abletoprovide myself afresh withboth” (Freud, 
1900/1953, p.483). Until hewaswellpast50,allthese relationships werewithmen. 
Interestingly, Freud, themanwhoseemed tobeconstantly thinking ofsex,hadavery
infrequent sexlifehimself. After Anna, hisyoungest child, wasbornin1895, Freud, 
notyet40years old,hadnosexual intercourse forseveral years. Much ofhissparse 
sexual lifestemmed from hisbelief thatuseofacondom, coitus interruptus, aswellas
masturbation wereunhealthy sexual practices. Because Freud wanted nomore chil-
drenafterAnna wasborn, sexual abstinence washisonlyalternative (Breger, 2000; 
Freud, 1985).
Inaddition tobalancing hisemotional lifebetween anintimate friend anda
hated enemy, Freud possessed anoutstanding talent asawriter, agiftthathelped 
himbecome aleading contributor to20th-century thought. Hewasamaster of
theGerman tongue andknew several other languages. Although henever wonthe
coveted Nobel Prize forscience, hewasawarded theGoethe Prize forliterature 
in1930.
Freud alsopossessed intense intellectual curiosity; unusual moral courage 
(demonstrated byhisdaily self-analysis); extremely ambivalent feelings toward his
father andother father figures; atendency toholdgrudges disproportionate tothe
alleged offense; aburning ambition, especially during hisearlier years; strong feelings 
ofisolation evenwhile surrounded bymany followers; andanintense andsomewhat 
irrational dislike ofAmerica andAmericans, anattitude thatbecame more intense 
afterhistriptotheUnited States in1909.
WhydidFreud havesuchadisdain forAmericans? Perhaps themost important 
reason isthatherightly believed Americans would trivialize psychoanalysis bytrying 
tomake itpopular. Inaddition, hehadseveral experiences during histriptotheUnited 
States thatwereforeign toaproper bourgeois Viennese gentleman. Even before he
embarked ontheGeorge Washington, hesawhisname misspelled as“Freund” onthe
passenger list(Ferris, 1997). Anumber ofother events—some ofwhich seem almost 
humorous—made Freud’s visitmore unpleasant thanitmight havebeen. First, Freud 
experienced chronic indigestion anddiarrhea throughout hisvisit,probably because 
thedrinking water didnotagree withhim.Inaddition, hefound itbothpeculiar and
problematic thatAmerican cities didnotprovide public restrooms onstreet corners, 
andwithhischronic indigestion hewasfrequently insearch ofapublic lavatory. 
Also, several Americans addressed himasDocorSigmund while challenging himto
defend histheories, andoneperson tried—unsuccessfully, ofcourse—to prevent him
from smoking acigar inanonsmoking area. Moreover, when Freud, Ferenczi, and
Jungwent toaprivate camp inwestern Massachusetts, theyweregreeted byabarrage 
offlagsofImperial Germany, despite thefactthatnone ofthem wasGerman and
eachhadreasons todislike Germany. Alsoatcamp, Freud, along withtheothers, sat
ontheground while thehostgrilled steaks overcharcoal, acustom Freud deemed to
bebothsavage anduncouth (Roazen, 1993).Final PDF to printer