Freud Wolfman Study

Sigmund Freud's Theory: the Wolfman Summary

The Wolfman study is a famous example of Freud's attempts to analyse dreams and interpret them to understand a person's behaviours.

The Wolfman study was a longitudinal case study between 1910-1914 of Sergei Pankejeff, a Russian man who Freud dubbed the Wolfman to protect his identity. Wolfman approached Freud due to psychological and mental health issues following his father's and sister's deaths (both said to be suicide). Freud interviewed Wolfman multiple times to learn more about his past, his relationships with his family (particularly his father and sister), and the potential reasons behind his mental health issues.

Freud discovered that the Wolfman had a specific dream and highlighted it specifically.

• The Wolfman dreamt that six to seven white wolves were sitting in a big walnut tree, which he could see at the foot of his bed, where a window was. The sight terrified him, Wolfman feared that the wolves would eat him, and he woke up screaming.

The Wolfman's Dream

The Wolfman dreamt of wolves in a tree and feared they would eat him. Freud found this dream to be particularly interesting and noted that the Wolfman described it as such (Freud, 1918):

Although this may seem like an ordinary nightmare to some, Freud interpreted the symbolism in the dream in accordance with Wolfman's personal life, specifically relating it to his experiences and relationships.

The Wolfman dreamt about wolves and was afraid they would eat him, freepik.com/wirestock

Wolfman Freud Analysis: The Primal Scene

Freud analysed the dream according to events and relationships from Wolfman's past, so it's important we understand Wolfman's past. According to Wolfman, he had a good relationship with his father and aspired to be like him. His relationship with his sister was a little more complicated, with Freud referencing a somewhat incestuous relationship.

Wolfman's parents considered his sister to be more outgoing and boisterous than Wolfman, and the parents hinted Wolfman ought to be more like his sister. Wolfman's sister committed suicide in 1906, and in 1907 his father died of an overdose, another suicide.

Wolfman had issues throughout his childhood, such as a hysteric form of anxiety, where he developed a fear (phobia) of animals. He also developed a devout devotion to religious figures and typically engaged in obsessive behaviours.

The events led to a series of psychological issues, including depression, for Wolfman. Let's explore Freud's analysis of Wolfman's dream:

• Freud suggested the dream represented trauma, deduced from a time when Wolfman had witnessed his parents having intercourse.
• The white wolves were the manifest content, and the latent content was the intercourse Wolfman witnessed previously, known as the 'primal scene'.
• The dream represented the trauma Wolfman had witnessed, the wolves symbolising Wolfman's father, in this case, and the white colour possibly referencing the bed sheets, according to Freud.
• Wolfman feared the wolves would eat him, and Freud interpreted it as a fear of castration from his father (castration anxiety).
• Overall, Wolfman's fear of wolves was in fact a fear of his father, with some links to the representation of penises (the dog's tails).

Freud stated the dream affected Wolfman's development, concluding that Wolfman had a displaced fear of his father. The deaths of both the sister and the father facilitated the development of his psychological issues. Freudian disciples tended to attribute Wolfman's issues in later life - long after his treatment with Freud had ended - to castration anxiety.

Criticism of Wolfman Freud Analysis

Freud's ideas, for many, were eccentric and tended to exist outside the scope of scientific-based theories. Even Sergei Pankejeff, the Wolfman himself, criticised Freud's interpretations:

• Wolfman said the concept that Freud was pushing was preposterous, and "The whole thing is improbable."
• Wolfman further supported his claims of the improbability of the theories, insisting the trauma event likely never happened as children slept with the nannies and not with the parents.
• Many notable figures in psychology dismissed the conclusions Freud posited as well, stating they were also speculative and lacked scientific credibility.