Between Sigmund Freud and Paul Federn: culture as a shared path of sublimation

Freud’s interest in culture and its various manifestations – one could even call it a passion of his – is well known. We examine the correspondence between Freud and Paul Federn – which consists of 147 cards and letters, some of them completely new, and includes Freud’s letters to Federn’s wife – in order to show that their relationship too was based on their shared interest in culture. Federn was more than a colleague: he was both Freud’s right-hand man institutionally in Vienna and a trusted person to whom he referred some of his patients. This correspondence has not only historical significance but also brings to light the theoretical stakes in issues that continue to remain central to psychoanalysis.     

Authoritarian Personalities, 1950-1973

This study concerns a comparison of American college graduates of the post Kent State era with those of the post Hitler era as to authoritarian type personality. A short 17-item scale for authoritarian personality traits was devised and found to correlate with the F Scale. This was administered to 314 college graduates in 1950. It was again administered to 400 graduates of the same college in 1973. The results show that the 1973 group is less authoritarian than the 1950 group.     

Authoritarian personalities, 1950-1973

This study concerns a comparison of American college graduates of the post Kent State era with those of the post Hitler era as to authoritarian type personality. A short 17-item scale for authoritarian personality traits was devised and found to correlate with the F Scale. This was administered to 314 college graduates in 1950. It was again administered to 400 graduates of the same college in 1973. The results show that the 1973 group is less authoritarian than the 1950 group.