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Alexander Mitscherlich (20 September 1908 – 26 June 1982) was a German
Alexander Mitscherlich (20 September 1908 – 26 June 1982) was a German psychoanalyst
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might ...
.
Life
Alexander Mitscherlich grew up in Munich and took up studies inhistory
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
, the history of art
The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetics, ae ...
, and philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...
at Munich University
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous oper ...
. When Mitscherlich's Jewish-born dissertation thesis supervisor died in 1932 his chair was passed to an antisemite who declined to take over the dissertation projects begun by his predecessor. This is why Mitscherlich left Munich for Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
in order to open a bookstore there, where he sold writings critical of the current developments in Germany, bringing him to the attention of the SA. He was hence jailed in Germany several times from 1933 for political reasons.
Mitscherlich emigrated to Switzerland in order to take up studies in medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
there, only to return to Germany in 1937. He received a doctor's degree from Heidelberg University
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Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
in 1941 in neurology.
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, he was an observer at the Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II.
Between 1939 and 1945 ...
against the Nazi physicians guilty of medical experiments and torture of the inmates of concentration camps. He worked at a clinic in Zurich where he met his future wife Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen. They married in 1955. It was his third marriage in all.
Alexander Mitscherlich founded the clinic for psychosomatic medicine
Psychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary medical field exploring the relationships among social, psychological, behavioral factors on bodily processes and quality of life in humans and animals.
The academic forebear of the modern field o ...
at Heidelberg University in 1949. From 1953 he held the chair for psychosomatic medicine in Heidelberg. In 1960, together with his wife Margarete Mitscherlich he was a co-founder of the Sigmund-Freud-Institut at Frankfurt committed to psychoanalytic research. He directed the institute until 1976. From 1966 to 1973 Mitscherlich was professor for psychology at Frankfurt University.
From the 1960s, alongside the protagonists of the Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), dur ...
, the Mitscherlichs played an important part in post-war Germany's intellectual debates, employing psychoanalytic thought for explaining the causes behind Nazi Germany and its aftermath in German society to the present day. The first major book they wrote together was ''Die Unfähigkeit zu trauern. Grundlagen kollektiven Verhaltens'' (''The Inability to Mourn: Principles of Collective Behaviour''), first published in 1967, discussing why the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, the war crimes, and the sentiment of guilt on the offender's part were not dealt with adequately in post-war German society. Mitscherlich pointed specifically to the Germans' inability to mourn their beloved leader, Adolf Hitler. Another important book Alexander Mitscherlich wrote was ''Die Unwirtlichkeit unserer Städte: Anstiftung zum Unfrieden'' (''The inhospitality of our cities. A deliberate provocation'') first published in 1965 that deals with the societal and psychological consequences of urban planning and architecture in post-war Germany. Late in this period, in 1969, Mitscherlich was the analyst of author Erica Jong, who stated, "He was the first person that took me seriously as a writer. He helped me break through a lot of barriers in my work. He changed my life."
Mitscherlich was awarded the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels
is an international peace prize awarded annually by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (English: ''German Publishers and Booksellers Association''), which runs the Frankfurt Book Fair. The award ceremony is held in the Paulskirche in ...
in 1969. In 1973 he received the ''Kulturpreis der Stadt München'' and the ''Wilhelm-Leuschner-Medaille''.
Alexander Mitscherlich died in Frankfurt am Main, aged 73. His bequest was handed over to Frankfurt University by his wife in 1982.
Writings
* Mitscherlich, A.; Mielke, F. Das Diktat der Menschenverachtung: Eine Dokumentation (The Dictate of Contempt for Humanity: A Documentation) 1947. "Psychiatrie Im Nationalsozialismus: Erinnerung Und Verantwortung. By Frank Schneider" p. 25 * ''Auf dem Weg zur vaterlosen Gesellschaft. Ideen zur Sozialpsychologie''. 1963 (''Society Without the Father: A Contribution to Social Psychology'', ) * Die Unwirtlichkeit unserer Städte. Anstiftung zum Unfrieden. 1965 * ''Krankheit als Konflikt''. 1966 * With Margarete Mitscherlich: ''Die Unfähigkeit zu trauern. Grundlagen kollektiven Verhaltens''. 1967 *** * With Margarete Mitscherlich: ''Die Idee des Friedens und die menschliche Aggressivität''. 1969 * With Margarete Mitscherlich: ''Eine deutsche Art zu lieben''. 1970 * ''Ein Leben für die Psychoanalyse''. 1980 (autobiography)Literature
* Martin Dehli: ''Leben als Konflikt. Zur Biographie Alexander Mitscherlichs.'' Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2007, 320 S. . *Tobias Freimüller (Hg.): ''Psychoanalyse und Protest – Alexander Mitscherlich und die "Achtundsechziger"'' Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2008 *Tobias Freimüller: ''Alexander Mitscherlich: Gesellschaftsdiagnosen und Psychoanalyse nach Hitler'', Göttingen: Wallstein, 2007, * Timo Hoyer: ''Im Getümmel der Welt. Alexander Mitscherlich – ein Porträt''; Göttingen 2008 * Hans-Martin Lohmann: ''Alexander Mitscherlich''. Reinbek bei Hamburg. 1987.External links
*References