A Brief History Of Active And Short-Term Psychoanalytic Techniques, part 1: Freud’s early discoveries

In this article, the author presents a brief history of the early development of Sigmund Freud’s psychotherapeutic technique, as well as some fundamentals of his early metapsychology. First, the influence of Joseph Breuer’s work with Anna O on Freud’s early research is considered. The author then reviews Freud’s disagreements with Breuer in light of the former’s exposure to French psychiatry. Following this, Freud’s early clinical findings are reviewed. This forms the basis for a brief overview of the history of the psychoanalytic movement during the first two decades of the 20th century, and forms the first part of a series of four articles that will be presented across four issues of the Journal.