Sigmund Freud was an Austrian psychiatrist, psychologist, founder of the psychoanalysis school. In 1873, he entered the medical school of the University of Vienna and received a doctorate of medicine in 1881. From 1882 to 1885, he worked as a physician at the Vienna General Hospital, engaged in brain anatomy and pathology research. Then private practice to treat mental illness. The concept of psychoanalysis was formally proposed in 1895. He created a new field of subconscious study, promoted the development of dynamic psychology, personality psychology, and abnormal psychology, laid a new foundation for modern medical models, and provided an essential theoretical pillar for the 20th century Western humanities (Leader).

​

Freud was a neurologist from the late 19th through the early 20th century. As a neurologist, he developed his fascination with the study of the unconscious through different cases with his patients. There is an example of a little boy who lost his control over his hands after his mother let him sign a denunciation of his father during his parents’ divorce. In this boy's case, his unconscious confused him because the boy held two different feelings. He loved his mother so he did not want to disobey her. However, the boy felt guilty for signing the denunciation. As a result, according to Freud’s theory of the unconscious his physical disability appeared as a punishment for his action (Leader).

​

Introducing his psychological theory, Freud believes that "our lives are shaped by forces we are unaware of. Although we think we are in charge, we keep repeating the same blunders without knowing it" (Leader). Many different things happen in individuals' lives. Sometimes, people will do something that they do not like to do, or have a nightmare that they do want to have. Freud believes that this is the influence of the unconscious, which means that things are controlled by unknown forces instead of people themselves (Leader). Freud thinks that anyone who understands dreams can cure mental illnesses, or at least find out what causes them. Freud believes that dreams are the fulfillment of desires, and people often dream -- using encrypted forms -- to get what they want. Two forces confront each other: unconscious attempts to stuff content to dreamers, while censorship forces distort these dreams. Therefore, evident and distorted dreams are different from implicit dreams: the actual content comes from the unconscious (Leader).

​

To explain how the unconscious functions and affects human lives, Freud suggests that contradictory thoughts are the primary reason. Conflicting thoughts in individuals' minds create tensions -- different severe emotions, causing the body to react physically. Also, another important idea that Freud believes is that most of our thoughts are formed unconsciously. Thus, significant actions that make a difference in our lives (e.g., how we treat people, how we talk to other people, how we react to some things) are influenced by the unconscious. However, people usually do not realize the existence of the psyche, so they always want to rationalize their thoughts and actions (Leader). Horror movies provide these reasons with the audience, making the audience want to seek more fear but unintentionally. Thus, the unconscious contributes to people's attachment to fear.