Review of Sigmund Freud His Personality, His Teaching

Abstract

Reviews the book, Sigmund Freud His Personality, His Teaching, and His School by Fritz Wittels. Herr Wittels, although he has been estranged from Sigmund Freud for years, is nevertheless an enthusiastic supporter of psychoanalysis and a thorough-going admirer of Freud. He speaks of Freud sometimes almost with awe During the years of his estrangement he seems to have enshrouded the founder of psychoanalysis in a halo of romance. Freud to him is the Master, the overshadowing individuality, the Old Man of the primitive horde, a successor of Plato, one of those figures which "loom athwart the centuries". It is little wonder that Freud can write him the generally appreciative letter which forms the preface to the book. It is doubtful whether Herr Wittels, with such a profound admiration for Freud, can be the critical witness which he aspires to be. The book, however, is valuable both for Freudians and non- Freudians. There is a vivid and entertaining account of the conflict of several strong personalities, among whom Freud is evidently the peer. The chapters on Adler, Jung, and Stekel show just where these well-known psychoanalysts broke with Freud, and just what each has contributed to psychoanalysis. There is also a clear account showing how Freud, step by step, built up his theories of the unconscious. The book, in other words, explains the inner workings of a movement which has become very powerful in our times (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)