Everyone has a hero. One of mine is Sigmund Freud, who instigated illuminating changes during the dark times of the Nazi regime. Happy 150th Birthday, Sigmund. You’ve helped more people and cultures than you ever personally met. Man, you’ve got brains and guts!
OH, WHAT CHANGES FREUD INSTIGATED
Many concepts you and I take for granted and use every day were developed by Freud and his followers, such as:
1. Counseling and psychotherapy
2. The driving force of the “unconscious”
3. Interpreting your dreams when you get up in the morning
4. The idea that children have feelings and are important people, too
5. Multiple voices (id, ego, superego) are alive and well in your head
6. Defense mechanisms, such as, “I’m afraid of hurting your feelings!”
7. The mortido drive…or why we do such stupid things now and then
- Freud was a very gifted and prolific writer and thinker. Technologically akin to the development of airplane travel, Freud helped us all safely fly to unknown regions of the unconscious and subconscious inner minds.INVENTORS: GREAT COMMUNICATORS WHO INVENT NEW IDEAS TO HELP THE WORLD ACCOMPLISH GREAT FEATS OF CHANGE
Was Freud and extrovert or an introvert? I’m sure…Freud was an Instigator-type communicator who was an introvert. In my communication system, both Freud and Jung were Instigator-type introverts or ITI’s. Nickname: INVENTORS. They are among good company. Bill Gates, Ben Franklin and The Wright Brother’s are just a few famous ITI’s.
ARE YOU MORE-INGOING AND INTROVERTED…OR MORE-OUTGOING AND EXTROVERTED?
Your communicator type is an Empathizer-type communicator or an Instigator-type communicator. Your personality type is either an introvert or extrovert…you know best. Did you know that Freud’s close ally and buddy Carl Jung developed the ideas of more-ingoing (introverted) or more-outgoing (extroverted) to try and better understand his “ambivalent” and very productive relationship with Freud? There was a huge clash of these genius titans and ultimately a very painful falling out. In fact, the Myers-Briggs personality testing movement, the most popular measurement of understanding your personality today, grew out of this undertaking.
GREAT MEN AND WOMEN HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR AND CAN BE TEASED
The basic writings of Sigmund Freud are a treasure-trove filling shelves upon shelves. I know many jokes are told about Sigmund Freud…just goes to show he’s still got us thinking and reeling after 150 years. I won’t soon forget the cartoon I saw that described “a Freudian slip” (slip of the tongue) with an image of my hero Sigmund Freud prancing around in a lady’s slip…
BRAIN ENVY
…Oh, my now. That’s SO hostile. Just goes to show some have “brain envy” of that remarkable Jewish man and scholar.
Dr. Dennis O’Grady is a keynote speaker on positive and effective communication, Transactional Analyst and communications psychologist who is a mentee and admirer of the life-changing work of Sigmund Freud. O’Grady’s third book is “Talk to Me: Communication Moves To Get Along With Anyone.” He is a husband and father of three daughters, and resides in the hometown of flight, Dayton, Ohio.