Sigmund Freud: His Personality, His Teaching, and His School

What it is

This is a 1924 biography of Sigmund Freud written by Fritz Wittels, who had been a member of Freud's own circle of followers. The book, 287 pages long, is held as a scanned volume by a library collection.

Why it matters

Because Wittels knew Freud personally and was once part of the psychoanalytic movement, this book offers an insider's account rather than a distant outsider's summary. It shows how Freud was seen by his students and colleagues during his own lifetime, and reflects the intense personal and professional relationships that shaped the early psychoanalytic school.

Look closer

• Why might a former pupil's account of a teacher differ from a stranger's biography?
• What does it mean that this book calls itself about Freud's "personality," "teaching," and "school" all together?
• What might be left out of a book written by someone who was once close to, then possibly apart from, the person they are writing about?