Leading articles

THE VIENNA PSYCHOANALYST wants to give not only already internationally established psychoanalysts, but also still unknown psychoanalysts the opportunity to post a self-written and not yet published article on the FrontPage of our online magazine!

Our Users then can leave comments, ask questions or discuss the articles in our forum. Our aim is to provide an international platform where for the first time anyone interested in psychoanalysis can exchange ideas on certain topics.
Articles are welcome in German and/ or English.

If you are interested, please send your article to
leadingarticle@theviennapsychoanalyst.at


(For reasons of readability, the male form is used with personal names, however the female form is also always intended.)

In our interview series "in conversation with“, we will briefly present the authors of the leading articles. We want to give our users the opportunity to read the leading article from a different point of view.


This week we are very glad to welcome Wolfgang Schmidbauer from Munich, Germany:

Born on May 15, 1941 in Munich, the second son of Edward Schmidbauer and Elisabeth Schmidbauer, nee Günther.
1944 bombed out, moved to Passau in Lower Bavaria.
Studies in psychology at the University of Munich from 1960 to 1966. As a student he also worked as a reporter and editor of a medical magazine (Selecta).
Afterwards PhD by Albert Görres in Munich with a scholarship of the Volkswagen Foundation about "Myth and psychology - Methodological problems identified at the Oedipus saga". Moved to Italy, working as a freelance writer. 1971 return to Germany. Founded a psychoanalytic institute in Munich in collaboration with Günter Ammon. At the end of 1972 separation from Ammon; Continue working with a group of doctors, psychologists and "laymen" in a newly designed psychoanalytic training with a strong accentuation of group and family therapy elements.
During this work two clubs emerged where Schmidbauer exerts various functions; He is currently Honorary Chairman of the Society for Analytical group dynamics, where group leaders, supervisors and family therapists are being trained and analyst trainer of the Munich Association of Psychoanalysis, which is by now recognized as a training institute for psychoanalysts of the German Society for Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and depth psychology. Since 1973, in addition to his Schmidbauer works as an individual and group therapist in private practice.
1976-1980 he has been a lecturer and examiner in the branch clinical psychology at the LMU Munich; 1986 visiting professor of Psychoanalysis at the University of Kassel.
In addition to specialized books, some of which have been bestsellers, Schmidbauer has written a number of short stories, novels and accounts of childhood and youth experiences. He is a columnist at the “ZEIT” magazine and a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers.

Several important titles:
Publishing house Rowohlt: Die hilflosen Helfer. Über die seelische Problematik der helfenden Berufe; Helfen als Beruf. Die Ware Nächstenliebe; Die Angst vor Nähe; Alles oder nichts. Über die Destruktivität von Idealen; Weniger ist manchmal mehr. Die Psychologie des Konsumverzichts; Eine Kindheit in Niederbayern; Ein Haus in der Toscana; Die Kentaurin. Erzählung
Publishing house Herder: Das Geheimnis der Zauberflöte; Dranbleiben. Die gelassene Art, Ziele zu erreichen; Lebensgefühl Angst; Drei Generationen – Psychogramm der Bundesrepublik
Publishing house DTV: Die einfachen Dinge; Persönlichkeit und Menschenführung.
Publishing house Gütersloher: Das Mobbing in der Liebe; Die psychologische Hintertreppe; Paartherapie – Konflikte verstehen, Lösungen finden.



DWP: What brought you to psychoanalysis?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: At an early age I read Freud and found his style fascinating


DWP: If you had the opportunity to talk with Sigmund Freud, what would be the topic?
Are there any specific questions?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: I think I would talk to him about collecting, about Italy and archeology. And maybe even about group psychotherapy and group dynamics.


DWP: Fabric or leather couch?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: I use a Biedermeier bed with a kilim and pillows.


DWP: According to Bruno Bettelheim and the importance of fairy tales in childhood. Will you tell us your favorite fairy tale? And do you see parallels to your own adult life?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: My favorite fairy-tale right now is the story of Frodo: Tolkien´s "Lord of the Rings".


DWP: I dream,….

Wolfgang Schmidbauer:... from writing stories in which the complexity of human relationships becomes descriptive.


DWP: What do you find good or particularly good in psychoanalysis and is there anything you do not like about it?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: I find indispensable the diverse, accurate, possible disinterested observation and understanding of options. I find hardly bearable the bureaucracy and the fighting between the different associations concerning the narcissism of small differences, who is now "real" psychoanalyst and who is not.


DWP: What challenges did you have to face during your analytic training?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: My training was very self-determined, because I was a founding member of the Institute,
where I completed it. The problem was later receiving recognition by the professional associations.


DWP: Do you have a favorite Freud - quote?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: "In psycho-analysis there has existed from the very first an inseparable bond between cure and research."


DWP:  Are there other psychoanalysts, in addition to Sigmund Freud, who you like to study?

Wolfgang Schmidbauer: Heinz Hartmann and Erik Erikson, while I was studying, later Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott, Heinz Kohut, on the side Georg Groddeck and Sandor Ferenzci.


Thank you very much for this conversation, we are already looking forward to your leading article!



Contact information of the author:
Wolfgang Schmidbauer