Sigmund Freud, born on May 6, 1856, in Freiberg, Moravia (now the Czech Republic), is revered as the father of psychoanalysis—a pioneering method for treating mental illness and also a theory that explains human behavior. Freud's innovative treatment of human actions, dreams, and indeed of cultural artifacts as invariably possessing implicit symbolic significance has proven to be extraordinarily fertile, and has had massive implications for a wide variety of fields including psychology, anthropology, semiotics, and artistic creativity and appreciation as well as the popular imagination. Perhaps his most significant and enduring contribution was the development of the theory of the unconscious mind, which he explored notably in his 1900 work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' (Freud, 1900). In this book, he outlined his theory of dream interpretation, positing that dreams are a form of wish-fulfillment and a window into the unconscious mind. Freud's writing is characterized by its incisive depth and its captivating mix of clinical detachment and theoretical audacity. Over the course of his long career, he wrote numerous books that have left a lasting impact on the fields of psychology and psychotherapy. Despite facing criticism and skepticism in his own time—and indeed still today—Freud's ideas have nevertheless shaped the course of modern psychology and remain deeply influential in the worlds of arts, literature, and popular culture.