Yalom's When Nietzsche Wept - Free Essay in Psychology

The novel was set in Vienna in the year 1882 when Joseph Breuer, a physician, and mentor of Freud Sigmund tried to apply his newly discovered mentorship skills to cure a woman who had a number of hysterical symptoms. It turns out that the physician becomes obsessed with the beautiful woman Anna who is no longer his patient, and it is him who now requires help. He goes for a vacation in Venice where a Russian woman, Lou Salome, asks him to treat Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher who threatened her of suicide because she rejected him. After consulting with Breuer in Vienna, Nietzsche agrees to meet him daily for one month. Breuer relates to Nietzsche's situation and plans to talk him out in order to cure his depression and obsession. The tale is fully imagined and intelligent since Yalom brings out the events of the sessions as well as the intellectual and social aspects of the time period. In his discussion with Breuer, Freud observes that perhaps, a person's dreams can show their fears and wishes. The novel also indicates an unconvincing and manipulated resolution.

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The book told in the third person point of view, intends to show how there was a possibility of inventing psychotherapy under different circumstances. In the case of this book, he aimed to emphasize what Nietzsche said about suffering and despair in humans through the epitome of one of the earliest discovered and recognized psychoanalysts. Yalom plays a role in the actual scrutinization of the old philosophical work of the contemporary Nietzsche. The systematic analysis of Breuer surrounds both the philosopher and the man, discerning both the separation with discipline and objectivity. Yalom's education as a psychoanalyst is mirrored in Nietzsche's and Breuer's psychological exploration (Caeiro et al., p572). The plot unfolds along events of consultations and discussions between the two men, who have to continually re-acknowledge and acknowledge all points before stating their intentions. As the two men get comfortable with each other, there are growth informalities that are eventually dispensed with.

Obsessions about death and women afflict both Breuer and Nietzsche. There is an exciting and captivating twist in the juxtaposition of the two diverse kinds of therapy, philosophical council, and psychoanalysis. The first try to speak to our emotional side while the other to the rational side. Breuer's major frustration is on Nietzsche's habit of philosophical counseling and using it to embrace the challenges and his pains to make him a better man. All that Breuer wanted was to get intimate with the young former patient despite the fact that he was married to a beautiful woman, and not to die. The emotional approach fails since, in Breuer's attempt to help his patient, he is obsessed sexually with her, causing her to fall back to her original illness, ruining his own career and marriage. He uses the same technique to handle the doctor s case repeating the same mistake.

When Nietzsche wept majorly, makes up for in the period of its ancient accuracy and the quality of the thoughts that have been explored. Through there interaction, Breuer gains Nietzsche's ideas and values, from his philosophical writings, to outline his obsession with struggling with power, in personal relationships and how tragedy is valuable in affirming life. It is a well researched, richly imagined and intelligent novel.

Works cited

Caeiro, Carmen, Eduardo Brazete Cruz, and Carla Mendes Pereira. "Arts, literature and reflective writing as educational strategies to promote narrative reasoning capabilities among physiotherapy students." Physiotherapy theory and practice30.8 (2014): 572-580.