Psychoanalysis under the Slovenes – the beginnings

Abstract

In the early years of the formation of the psychoanalytic movement, many Slovenes studied in Vienna, a city that we associate with Freud and psychoanalysis. Alfred Šerko, a leading and highly influential neuropsychiatrist, had supposedly even attended Freud's lectures as a student of logic and psychology in the years 1902-1903. However, between analysts of the first generation, no Slovenian can be found. A variety of sources testify to the fact that the generation of Slovenian writers born around 1900 had begun reading Freud's original works rather early. On the basis of essays, articles and lectures by Vladimir Bartol and Slavko Grum we can conclude that psychoanalysis was fairly present at the time being. This is apparent as well in the articles and interviews published in Slovenian magazines and newspapers of the 20’s and 30’s of the previous century. It becomes apparent that in the second half of the 30’s, interest in psychoanalysis (at least seemingly) slowly faded and that the psychoanalytic circle in Slovenia had not yet been formed.