March Video of the Month
“Grandchildren’s Personal Perspectives on the Masters”
Special Topics | Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference 1985 | Phoenix, AZ
*All photos in this post were taken by Keith Perry, 1985.
The Faculty
Above, From Left to Right:
Dr. Dieter Baumann (1927-2020), psychiatrist and grandson of Carl Jung
Dr. Sophie Freud (1924-2022), clinical social worker and granddaughter of Sigmund Freud
Margo Adler (1946-2014), journalist and granddaughter of Alfred Adler
Moderator: John Racy, M.D.
📌 About the Session
Instead of discussing their intellectual work, the panelists share what it was like to grow up in the families of these famous theorists.
Their stories move between humor, reflection, and history. We hear about childhood visits, family traditions, and the cultural world of prewar Vienna. At times the discussion becomes sobering as the panelists recall how political upheavals, including the Nazi takeover of Austria, shaped their families’ lives.
March is Women’s History Month, which makes this archival recording a timely listen. During their personal recollections, the panelists touch on the mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters that surrounded Freud, Adler, and Jung.
🧠 Session Highlights
Growing Up in the Freud Household
Sophie Freud offers a vivid memory of visiting her grandfather as a child in Vienna. Each Sunday she walked with her nursemaid to the Freud family apartment on Berggasse.
Her meeting with Freud was brief and formal. She would sit in his office for a few minutes while he looked her over and then gave her a small allowance before returning to his work.
The household she describes was carefully structured and governed by routine. Children were often raised by nursemaids and family life followed strict schedules. These recollections offer an interesting contrast to modern assumptions about parenting and attachment.
🎥 Watch the Moment
Vienna Before the War
The conversation turns serious when Sophie Freud recalls the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938.
Jewish families suddenly faced intimidation, searches of their homes, and public humiliation. Her brother was among those forced to scrub the streets while crowds watched.
Soon afterward, members of the Freud family fled Vienna. Others who remained behind, including several of Sigmund Freud’s sisters, later died in concentration camps.
These recollections remind us that the development of modern psychotherapy was accelerated against the backdrop of world wars. The immense traumas caused by these wars forced professionals to create new psychological treatments.
Alfred Adler’s Family Legacy
Journalist Margo Adler shares stories about the diverse paths taken by Alfred Adler’s children.
One daughter became a therapist in New York. Another pursued a career in theater. Another died in a Soviet prison after joining the Russian Revolution.
Adler also reflects on the challenge of reconstructing family history. Many relatives who lived through the turbulent years of prewar Vienna were reluctant to speak about their past.
Remembering Carl Jung
Dieter Baumann offers a thoughtful portrait of Carl Jung’s later years.
He recalls visiting Jung shortly before his death and observing how intensely focused he remained on writing and reflection. Even near the end of his life, Jung was deeply engaged with questions about the future of humanity.
Baumann also remembers Jung’s love of nature. Long before it was common in Europe, Jung took his children sailing and camping on the lake near Zurich.
🌸 Home Life Around the Masters
During one part of the discussion, Dr. Racy invites the panelists to reflect on the women in their families. Their responses shift the focus briefly from the famous theorists to the households that surrounded them.
Sophie Freud describes the structured household maintained by her grandmother, where meals were served exactly on time and the rhythms of family life were carefully managed while Sigmund Freud spent long hours working in his office. She notes that Sigmund Freud relied heavily on the women in his household, particularly his wife, his sister-in-law, and his youngest daughter Anna, to sustain the environment that allowed him to focus on his work. She also notes that Sigmund Freud later chose Anna as his intellectual heir, a decision that placed one of the women in the family at the center of the continuation of his work.
Dieter Baumann remembers his grandmother Emma Jung as a warm and generous presence in a large extended family that included nineteen grandchildren.
⏳ Enduring Relevance
This video explores the influences and environment surrounding these famous theorists, including the roles women played in their lives. It also places them within the wider network of relationships and circumstances that shaped their ideas.
▶ Watch This Month’s Selection Here.
