Robert Waelder (1900–1967) was a noted Austrian
psychoanalyst
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious processes and their influence on conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on dream interpretation, psychoanalysis is also a talk th ...
and member of the
Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Waelder studied under
Anna Freud
Anna Freud CBE ( ; ; 3 December 1895 – 9 October 1982) was a British psychoanalyst of Austrian Jewish descent. She was born in Vienna, the sixth and youngest child of Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays. She followed the path of her father a ...
and
Hermann Nunberg. He was known for his work bringing together psychoanalysis and politics and wrote extensively on the subject.
Life
Waelder was the son of the Jewish merchant Joseph Waelder. Waelder graduated from Maximilian Gymnasium with honors in 1918; and he received a doctorate in physics in 1921. He contacted
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
in 1922 to inquire about treatment, and was referred to
Hans Jokl. He later trained under
Anna Freud
Anna Freud CBE ( ; ; 3 December 1895 – 9 October 1982) was a British psychoanalyst of Austrian Jewish descent. She was born in Vienna, the sixth and youngest child of Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays. She followed the path of her father a ...
and
Hermann Nunberg, and in 1924 became a member of the
Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.
His first marriage was to a fellow member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, Jenny Pollak. In 1938, he emigrated to the United States and taught at the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. In 1963, he was appointed professor of psychoanalysis at the psychiatry department of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
Waelder died of heart failure on September 28, 1967, in Broomall, Pennsylvania.
Writings and work
*Waelder’s first articles, on psychotic mechanisms, were published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis in 1925 and 1926. They were followed by an article on Play in the Psychoanalytic Quarterly, in 1933. Meanwhile, in 1930 Waelder had published in German ''Principle of Multiple Function'' (Internationale Zeitschift fur Psychoanalyse, 1930, 16: 286–300; it was translated in English in 1936: The principle of multiple function: observations on over-determination. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 1936, 5: 45–62; reprint: 2007, 76: 75–92). In it Waelder widened Freud's formulation of psychological symptoms, hypothesising that they were caused by and relieved conflict simultaneously. Symptoms, such as phobias and compulsions, each represent elements of some internal drive like superego, anxiety, reality, and defenses.
*As a representative of the Viennese analysts, and within the context of an exchange of views, in 1936 Waelder presented in London his critique of the teachings of
Melanie Klein
Melanie Klein (; ; Reizes; 30 March 1882 – 22 September 1960) was an Austrian-British author and psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst known for her work in child analysis. She was the primary figure in the development of object relations theory. Kl ...
; "The Problem of the Genesis of Psychical Conflict" was published in 1936. Waelder also presented to the Royal Institute of International Affairs his work on psychology and politics, which was published as "The Psychological Aspects of International Affairs", and which suggested how psychoanalytic notions might be applied to the study of war; In a similar vein, he had written a short study on collective psychoses.
*Waelder was one of the first to create a structured analysis of love, according to
Martin S. Bergmann. Similar to the sketches Freud made, Waelder states that an ideal partner must recreate early childhood imprints, and create a connection with the subconscious ego that is both alive – containing friction – but must also create a mental balance. Quote: "To Waelder, love was an act of integration of a high order, a tribute to the ego's capacity to bring together harmoniously wishes of the Id, demands of the repetition compulsion, the demands of the superego, and the claims of reality. The love object chosen must be sexually gratifying, connected unconsciously to love objects in one's past (mother, father figures, etc. ed), sufficiently admired to meet the approval of the superego, and appropriate in meeting the demands of reality." – Martin S. Bergmann, ''The Anatomy of Loving: The Story of Man's Quest to Know What Love Is''.
*His ''Basic Theory of Psychoanalysis'' (of 1960) presented an orthodox view of American
ego psychology
Ego psychology is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud's structural id-ego-superego model of the mind.
An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. Many psychoanalysts use a theoretical c ...
in theory and practice, arguing that “the very nature of the psychoanalytic process makes it the key that fits the neuroses but does not fit other disorders”. He suggested accordingly that ‘liberal’ variations in analytic practice were likely to be sterile, and praised the way that “the ‘orthodox’ analyst stands more in awe of the unconscious”.
Partial bibliography
* ''Psychological aspects of war and peace''. Geneva Studies, 10,2. (1929)
* ''The Living Thoughts of Freud.'' New York and Toronto: Longmans, Green & Co. (1941)
* ''Basic theory of psychoanalysis.'' New York: International Universities Press. (1960)
* ''Progress and revolution: A study of the issues of our age.'' New York: International Universities Press. (1967)
* ''Psychoanalysis: Observations, theory, application: Selected papers of Robert Waelder.'' New York: International Universities Press. (1976)
See also
*
Ego psychology
Ego psychology is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud's structural id-ego-superego model of the mind.
An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. Many psychoanalysts use a theoretical c ...
*
Franz Alexander
*
Object relations theory
Object relations theory is a school of thought in psychoanalytic theory and psychoanalysis centered around theories of stages of ego development. Its concerns include the relation of the psyche to others in childhood and the exploration of re ...
References
External links
Waelder, Robert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waelder, Robert
Austrian psychoanalysts
1900 births
1967 deaths
Date of birth missing
Place of birth missing
Date of death unknown
Place of death missing
Psychology writers
Analysands of Anna Freud
Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United States