The Image of Psychoanalysis in Romanian Communist Propaganda

Abstract

In 1932, a conference dedicated to Sigmund Freud was banned by the Romanian authorities, because they wanted to avoid “communist propaganda”. Twenty years later, psychoanalysis was once again officially banned, this time by the communist authorities. Because it was considered a bourgeois and a reactionary science, psychoanalysis could not be tolerated by the new regime. More than that, the psychoanalytical practice involved many risks for both psychoanalyst and patient. Not only the practice, but also the publication of works in this field was strictly forbidden. Especially in the first ten years after World War II, psychoanalysis was criticised in various books, articles and even in the press. Therefore, the progresses made by the Romanian physicians in the interwar period ceased and the most important accomplishments in this area were overshadowed by those of the communist scientists.