Otto Rank (April 22, 1884 – October 31, 1939) was an Austrian psychologist. Born in Vienna as Otto Rosenfeld, he was also one of Sigmund Freud's closest aides and later colleagues and finally critic. April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A psychologist is a scientist who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human behaviour and mental processes. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Croatian and Serbian: Beč Romanian: Viena, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya;) Vienna is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud [] (May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, based on his theory that human development is best understood in terms of changing objects of sexual desire; that the unconscious often represses wishes (generally of a...

In the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society

Rank came to Freud's Wednesday discussion circle from a non-medical background. From 1906 he became secretary of the emerging Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Freud described him as "a pleasant, intelligent youngster ... qualified in mechanical engineering ... studying Latin and Greek for admission to university... I expect a good deal of him once he has got himself an education" (letter to Jung, 5th March 1908). Rank obtained a PhD in 1912. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The W16 engine from a Bugatti Veyron Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... Carl Jung around 1910, Source: Prints & Photographs Division Library of Congress Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961) (IPA:) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology. ... PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Rank was one of Freud's six close collaborators who were brought together in a secret "committee" or "ring" to defend the psycho-analytic mainstream as the disputes with Adler and then Jung developed. Rank was the most prolific author in the "Ring" besides Freud himself, extending psychoanalytic theory to the study of legend, myth, art, and other works of creativity. He worked particularly closely with Freud, not just in the secretarial role, but also in contributing additional material to later editions of "The Interpretation of Dreams". Dr. Alfred Adler Alfred Adler (February 7, 1870 – May 28, 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor and psychologist, founder of the school of individual psychology. ... Psychoanalytic theory is a general term for approaches to psychoanalysis which attempt to provide a conceptual framework more-or-less independent of clinical practice rather than based on empirical analysis of clinical cases. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ... In the academic fields of mythology, mythography, and folkloristics a myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form. ... Winged Victory of Samothrace exihibited in the Louvre. ... This articles neutrality is compromised by weasel words. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. ... The Interpretation of Dreams is a book by Sigmund Freud, the first edition of which came out in 1900. ...

In 1924 Rank published The Trauma of Birth, exploring how art, myth, religion, philosophy and therapy were illuminated by separation anxiety in the “phase before the development of the Oedipus complex” (p. 216). But there was no such phase in Freud’s theories. The Oedipus complex, Freud explained tirelessly, was the nucleus of the neurosis and the foundational source of all art, myth, religion, philosophy, therapy – indeed of all human culture and civilization. It was the first time that anyone in the inner circle had dared to suggest that the Oedipus complex might not be the supreme causal factor in psychoanalysis. It was also the first time that anyone in the inner circle had dared to suggest that there was a “pre-Oedipal” complex – a term that did not exist at that time. Rank was the first to use the term “pre-Oedipal” in a public psychoanalytic forum in 1925 (Rank, 1996, p. 43). In the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, Rank will be credited with coining this term, which is now mistakenly thought to have been introduced by Freud in 1932. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Separation anxiety disorder (or simply separation anxiety) is a psychological condition in which an individual has excessive anxiety regarding separation from home, or from those with whom the individual has a strong attachment. ... Oedipus Complex is a metal band from Chicago that everyone should hear. ... In modern psychology, the term neurosis, also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, is a general term that refers to any mental imbalance that causes distress, but does not interfere with rational thought or an individuals ability to function in daily life. ...

After some hesitation, Freud distanced himself from The Trauma of Birth, signalling to other members of his inner circle that Rank was perilously close to anti-Oedipal heresy. Confronted with Freud’s decisive opposition, Rank chose to resign in protest from his positions as Vice-President of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, director of Freud’s publishing house, and editor of Imago and Zeitschrift. Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

Post-Vienna Life and Work

In May 1926, Rank moved to Paris where he became an analyst for artists such as Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin and lectured at the Sorbonne (Lieberman, 1985). 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Psychoanalysis is the revelation of unconscious relations, in a systematic way through an associative process. ... Henry Miller photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1940 Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American writer and, to a lesser extent, painter of German Catholic heritage. ... Anaïs Nin Anaïs Nin (pronounced ana-EASE Neen) (February 21, 1903 - January 14, 1977) was a French-born American author of Catalan and Danish descent who became famous for her published diaries, which span more than sixty years, beginning when she was eleven years old and ending shortly...

In France and later in America, Rank enjoyed great success as a therapist and writer. Travelling frequently between France and America, Rank lectured at universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Pennsylvania on object-relational, experiential and “here-and-now” psychotherapy, art, the creative will, and “neurosis as a failure in creativity” (Rank, 1996). Object relations theory is the idea that the ego-self exists only in relation to other objects, which may be external or internal. ...

He died in New York City in 1939 from a kidney infection. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Human kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. ...

Influence

Rollo May, a pioneer of existential psychotherapy in the United States, was deeply influenced by Rank’s post-Freudian lectures and writings and always considered Rank to be the most important precursor of existential therapy. Shortly before his death, Rollo May wrote the foreword to Robert Kramer's edited collection of Rank’s American lectures. “I have long considered Otto Rank to be the great unacknowledged genius in Freud’s circle,” said May (Rank, 1996, p. xi). Rollo May (April 21, 1909, Ada, Ohio - October 22, 1994, Tiburon, California) was the best known American existential psychologist, authoring the influential book Love and Will in 1969. ... Existential psychotherapy is partly based on the existential belief that human beings are alone in the world. ...

In 1936 Carl Rogers, the most influential psychologist in America after William James, invited Otto Rank to give a series of lectures in New York on Rank’s post-Freudian models of experiential and relational therapy. Rogers was transformed by these lectures and always credited Rank with having profoundly shaped "client-centered" therapy and the entire profession of counselling. "I became infected with Rankian ideas," said Rogers (Rank, 1996, p. 263). Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987) was an influential American psychologist, who, along with Abraham Maslow, was the founder of the humanist approach to psychology. ... William James William James (January 11, 1842, New York – August 26, 1910, Chocorua, New Hampshire) was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher. ... Person centred psychotherapy was developed by Carl Rogers. ...

The New York writer Paul Goodman, who was co-founder with Fritz Perls of the Gestalt method of psychotherapy, one of the most popular in the world today, described Rank’s post-Freudian ideas on art and creativity as “beyond praise” in Gestalt Therapy (Perls, Goodman and Hefferline, 1951, p. 395). There have been multiple well-known individuals named Paul Goodman: Paul Goodman (writer), US author, freethinker, anarchist and Gestalt Therapy contributor (see Paul Goodman page in the Anarchist Encyclopedia) Paul Goodman (sound engineer), winner of multiple Grammy Awards) Paul Alexander Cyril Goodman (United Kingdom politician) Paul Goodman an NHL hockey... Frederick S. (Fritz) Perls (1893 - 1970) was a noted German-born psychologist and psychotherapist. ... Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy, built on the experiential ideal of Here and How (rather than the Rogersian Here and Now), and relationships with others and the world. ...

In 1974, the sociologist Ernest Becker won the Pulitzer prize for The Denial of Death (1973), which was based on Rank’s post-Freudian writings, especially Will Therapy (1929-31), Psychology and the Soul (1930) and Art and Artist (1932). Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ... Dr. Ernest Becker (1925-March 6, 1974, Vancouver, British Columbia), a cultural anthropologist and interdisciplinary scientific thinker and writer, came to the recognition that psychological inquiry inevitably comes to a dead end beyond which belief systems must be invoked to satisfy the human psyche. ... Listen to this article (help) Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-04-13, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ...

Today, Rank can be seen as one of the great pioneers in the fields of humanistic, existential, Gestalt and transpersonal psychology. Humanism is a broad category of active ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on our ability to determine what is right using the qualities innate to humanity, particularly rationality. ... Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transcendent, or spiritual dimensions of humanity. ...

Major publications

Major works written by Otto Rank, by date of first publication.

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud [] (May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, based on his theory that human development is best understood in terms of changing objects of sexual desire; that the unconscious often represses wishes (generally of a... Sándor Ferenczi 1873-1933 was a Hungarian psychoanalyst who came to believe that his patients accounts of sexual abuse as children were truthful, having verified those accounts through other patients in the same family. ...

References

Major works about Otto Rank.

• Karpf, Fay Berger (1970). The Psychology and Psychotherapy of Otto Rank: An Historical and Comparative Introduction. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0837130298.
• Lieberman, E. James (1985). Acts of Will: The Life and Work of Otto Rank. Free Press. ISBN 0-68-486327-8.
• Menaker, Esther (1982). Otto Rank: A Rediscovered Legacy. Columbia University Press.

External links

• OttoRank.com
• Otto Rank: Update, 2002 — additional publication information
• Photo of Otto Rank