Some Aspects of Charcot's Influence on Freud

IN PREVIOUS PAPERS (15), (22), (23) members of the Workshop on Scientific Methodology have considered the origins and modifications of some early concepts in psychoanalysis. We had been interested in the influences impinging on Freud during the early days of discovery and concept formation. In this context, Freud's trip to Paris to study with Charcot seemed pivotal in his shift from neurological and physiological to psychopathological work. Although Jones (19) traces the principles upon which Freud constructed his theories back to the influence of Brücke, he also states: "It was assuredly the experience with Charcot in Paris that aroused Freud's interest in hysteria, then in psychopathology in general, and so paved the way for resuscitating Breuer's observation and developing psychoanalysis" (Vol. 1, p. 75).

We have examined Charcot's writings (3) as well as some of those who have commented upon his work (5), (16), (17), (18), (24) to understand Charcot's theoretical perspective, his clinical technique, his research methods, aspects of his personality, and to assess the relative impact of each of these factors upon Freud.

Charcot recognized hysteria as a mental phenomenon and formulated a specific etiological theory for it (cf. 24). Although he was