Miriam Sophie Freud (August 6, 1924 – June 3, 2022) was an Austrian American psychosociologist, educator, and author. The granddaughter of Sigmund Freud, she was a critic of psychoanalysis, aspects of which she described as "narcissistic indulgence".[1] Her criticisms of the elder Freud's psychoanalytical doctrines made her the "black sheep" of the family and she observed how all of her female relatives, including her mother, Ernestine, and aunt Anna, were adversely affected by Sigmund's claims about women and their internal experiences.[2]
Sophie Freud | |
|---|---|
| Born | Miriam Sophie Freud August 6, 1924 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | June 3, 2022 (aged 97) Lincoln, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Radcliffe College Simmons University Brandeis University |
| Occupation | Psychologist |
| Spouse |
Paul Loewenstein
(m. 1945; div. 1985) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Jean Martin Freud Esti Freud |
| Relatives | Walter Freud (brother) Sigmund Freud (grandfather) Freud family |
Early life and education
editFreud was born in Vienna, Austria, and was raised in what her mother, Ernestine "Esti" Freud (née Drucker, 1896–1980), a speech therapist,[1] referred to as an upper class Jewish ghetto. Her father, lawyer Jean Martin Freud (1889–1967), was the eldest son of Sigmund Freud. He later became the director of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Publishing House. Sophie had one elder brother, Walter (1921–2004).
Freud fled Vienna in 1938 after the Anschluss. [1] From 1942, she lived in Boston and attended Radcliffe College, receiving her bachelor's degree in 1946.[3] Subsequent studies at Simmons University School of Social Work [4] led to a master's degree in 1948. Freud was awarded a doctoral degree from Brandeis University in 1970.[5]
Career
editFreud then taught at Simmons College,[1] along with taking time to teach social work in Canada and across countries in Europe.[6] She went on to write a book entitled Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family for her mother,[7] which was released in Germany as In the Shadow of the Freud Family: My Mother Experiences the 20th Century.[8] She also wrote My Three Mothers and Other Passions.[9] She appeared in the 2003 film Neighbours: Freud and Hitler in Vienna, in which she stated: "In my eyes, both Adolf Hitler and my grandfather were false prophets of the twentieth century."[1]
Freud served as the book review editor for the American Journal of Psychotherapy.[10]
Research
editA primary focus of Freud's life's research alongside her social work activities was on re-investigating the work of her grandfather regarding women and narcissism. In the 1970s, she conducted surveys of women on their "passions" and the things they felt strongly about, showing that Sigmund Freud was incorrect in his claim that only men have "true passion".[11][12]
Personal life
editFreud was the last surviving granddaughter of Sigmund Freud,[1] who she visited regularly on Sundays when she was a child.[13] She was a feminist who pushed for women's rights in academia and fought against the presumption that a woman who became pregnant would be unable to continue with education or, in her case, professional social work activities.[14]
Freud married Paul Loewenstein (1921–1992) in 1945; the couple had three children.[15][16] They divorced in 1985 and Freud reverted to using her maiden name.[17] On June 3, 2022, Freud died of pancreatic cancer at her home in Lincoln, Massachusetts, aged 97.[1]
Bibliography
edit- —; Freud, Ernestine Drucker (2007). Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 9780275994150.[18]
- — (1988). My Three Mothers and Other Passions. NYU Press. ISBN 9780814726006.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, Sam (June 3, 2022). "Sophie Freud, Critic of Her Grandfather's Gospel, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ Robinson, Tim (August 16, 1993). "Sophie's choice". The Guardian. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cappuzzo, Mike (April 15, 1984). "Shadow of Freud Stretches Over His Granddaughter's Life". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bergeron, Chris (August 20, 2007). "Sophie Freud, granddaughter of the father of modern psychiatry, analyzes a dark century". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ Christy, Marian (January 11, 1990). "Freud: 'I've learned to accept myself'". The Boston Globe. pp. 77, 83. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gaudin, Kimberly M. (June 2, 1989). "Just good enough is fine with Freud". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Freud, Sophie (2007). Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family. Praeger. ISBN 9780275994150.
- ^ DePasquale, Ron (May 31, 2006). "A truly Freudian scion knows her roots, grows". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Freud, Sophie (1991). My Three Mothers and Other Passions. New York University Press. ISBN 9780814726006.
- ^ Grondahl, Paul (April 1, 2002). "Granddaughter smothered by living in the shadow of Freud". Indiana Gazette. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kalson, Sally (February 28, 1990). "Freud brings a 'Passion' to her work". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 19, 21. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sophie Freud studies passion". The Indianapolis Star. March 11, 1990. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hopfensperger, Jean (February 27, 1993). "A modern-day Freud sizes things up". Star Tribune. pp. 4A, 6A. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staples, David (October 26, 1989). "Loneliness of old age brings women closer, professor says". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ English, Bella (January 3, 2002). "Freudian split". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 21, 2002.
- ^ Kalson, Sally (February 6, 2008). "Freud's offspring lead noted lives". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
- ^ Penikis, Malja (August 24, 1990). "Sophie Freud fills the void". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Reviews for Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family:
- Silverstein, Barry (Spring 2008). "Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family (review)". American Imago. 65 (1): 152–160. doi:10.1353/aim.0.0004. S2CID 143278302. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- Amada, Gerald (2007). "Book Review: Living in the Shadow of the Freud Family". The American Journal of Psychotherapy. 61 (4): 459–462. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2007.61.4.459.
- "Living in the shadow of the Freud family". Reference and Research Book News. 22 (3). August 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Reviews for My Three Mothers and Other Passions:
- Robertson, James Oliver; Robertson, Janet C. (September 25, 1988). "A Freud writes an impassioned book about living life". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Pharis, Mary (December 1990). "Book reviews – My Three Mothers and Other Passions by Sophie Freud". Clinical Social Work Journal. 18 (4): 440–442. doi:10.1007/BF00754842. S2CID 189882435. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- Hazzard, Ann (April 1989). "Book Review: My Three Mothers and Other Passions". The American Journal of Psychotherapy. 43 (2): 294–295. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1989.43.2.294. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- Ignatieff, Michael (November 24, 1988). "Freud's Cordelia". The New York Review of Books. 35 (18): 16. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- Grosskurth, Phyllis (November 6, 1988). "Life With Father Freud". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2022.