Freud and the Mighty Warrior

This essay traces a prominent facet of Freud's personality, his being a “mighty warrior” throughout his life. This aspect of his character evolved as a reaction formation against his submissive father and as an identification with his more aggressive mother. He first tried it out in his highly ambivalent relationship to his nephew John, who was one year older. In his childhood play, Freud identified with certain military heroes, such mighty warriors as Napoleon, Hannibal, Alexander the Great, and Massena. As he grew older he shifted from military heroes to other great men including Goethe, Shakespeare, and finally Moses. He substituted these men as ego ideals in place of his father about whose stature he felt disillusioned. He far surpassed his father in his life achievements and yet managed to maintain an even-handed, respectable relationship with him until he died in 1896. His mother all but worshipped Sigmund but also demanded that he achieve the maximum in whatever he did. He had to earn her love by an outstanding performance but always wanted to feel unconditionally loved. His mighty warrior attitude developed into an important part of his personality. It protected him from feelings of helplessness and inadequacy and made him into an outstanding leader of the psychoanalytic movement.