A significant step in understanding human development was gained at the end of the 19th century through Sigmund Freud's work on the unconscious and its influence on a person's conscious life. Although some of Freud's theories have since been dismissed, others have been built upon and continue to be used in the early years today - including the belief in the importance of detailed observation of children and gaining close relationships with them.
Freud's theories
Freud and his colleague Josef Bruer began the psychoanalytic tradition as a result of their work with mentally ill adult patients diagnosed as having 'hysteria'. Freud and his team explored ideas about the influence of the human mind, especially the unconscious.
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