A dream of undying fame

In the late 1870s, a young Sigmund Freud met an established physician named Josef Breuer in Vienna. Breuer quickly became Freud's mentor and trusted friend, providing the young doctor with financial support, patient referrals, and new ideas on the inner workings of the mind. His most valuable gift was the description of his treatment of Bertha Pappenheim -- later known as Anna O. -- a young female "hysteric" who would become the first case in Freud and Breuer's joint publication, Studies on Hysteria. This classic work has revolutionized the way we understand unconscious motivation, neurotic symptoms, childhood, trauma, the "talking cure," and more. But it was also a turning point in Breuer and Freud's partnership, as Freud's soaring aspirations started to come between the two pioneers of psychoanalysis. In A Dream of Undying Fame, renowned psychologist Louis Breger narrates the fascinating story behind the creation of Studies and reveals how Freud minimized Breuer's role in the book and in his life. A brilliant but flawed individual, Freud let no one stand in the way of his drive to become a world-famous scientist, and his personal history shaped his need to achieve professional recognition. Illustrating the importance of personality and social context behind an intellectual breakthrough, A Dream of Undying Fame provides an in-depth look at a field that reshaped our understanding of what it means to be human. - Jacket flap.