17 Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud was born in 1856 in Moravia, which is now the Czech Republic.His family moved to Vienna when Sigmund was four years old.He was the oldest of his mother's eight children and her favorite.Sigmund loved to read and he was always at the top of his class.He had no interest in sports or outdoor activities, except walking.The family apartment had only four bedrooms, but Sigmund's mother gave him his own room so he could study in peace.He rarely joined the family for meals.Instead he ate alone in his room, surrounded by his favorite books.Freud first thought about studying law, but then he decided to study medicine.He enrolled at the University of Vienna in 1873.His early days at the university were difficult because some of his classmates discriminated against him because he was Jewish.This made Freud more determined than ever to do his best.Freud received his medical degree in 1881.For the next few years he continued his laboratory work.After his marriage, Freud opened his own psychiatry practice.He worked with patients who were very depressed or behaved in strange ways.Later, he started to treat patients in a new way, called "psychoanalysis." Psychoanalysis uses different techniques to help people.
