Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud free essay sample

In the excerp from the novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer’s reveals the true nature of the characters detective Sherlock Holmes and the psychologist Sigmund Freud. Although, both of the characters shared similarities and differences in their professional methods that they used in their career, the two characters were both monumental figures that changed the human history through their brilliance in work. First, there are many similarities between the characters Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud. For example, both Holmes and Freud smoked tobacco preferably both tried cocaine while it was legal during the 19th century. While, Holmes used pipe for a way to get away from his problems, Freud smoked cigar for research and experiment. Both of the characters had deductive personalities, and were genius at their work. Through using â€Å"logical reasoning† both could find quick answers to most critical questions. The two characters had mindset that was too ahead for others; for instance, Holmes developed criminal investigation and forensic techniques that no other detective used. Similarly, Freud expanded and â€Å"effected the fields of psychology and psychiatry†¦moving both fields from the darkness of laboratories†¦into light of popular awareness† cleverly traversing the fields of medicine. There are also some ways that Holmes and Freud were different, starting with their homelands. Holmes and Freud were from two different countries; Holmes was from England while Freud was from Vienna. Freud worked indoors as he was Austrian neurologist who worked on his most influential theories. Unlike Freud, Holmes worked outside as he did his detective job finding criminals. Another major difference between these two characters was that Freud investigated cocaine for research while Holmes had raging cocaine addiction as his good old friend, Dr. Watson observes his critical issue asserts â€Å"all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks,† revealing the height of Holmes’ crazy addiction that his arm was filled with punctured marks because of his frequent needle injection. Also, it was Freud that had to cure Holmes’ condition after Dr. Watson brought him to Vienna. The last difference they shared was that Holmes had a weak characteristic which was a result of his crazy addiction to cocaine and gave up on his life without fixing it, while Freud stayed strong and went on with his life successfully despite being â€Å"alienated from respectable medical community,† thus Freud possessed a sense of honor and didn’t let a crisis in his life affect him in a negative way while Holmes let cocaine rule over him. The two characters also used many professional methods that were similar to each other. First of all, both Holmes and Freud used observational methods to find answers to questions. Through observing, both Holmes and Freud could infer quickly into the subject. In the instance when Holmes is brought to Freud’s house, he quickly asserts information about Freud’s life, Holmes addresses Freud as â€Å"married, possess a sense of honour, and enjoys playing cards and reading Shakespeare† by observing his study room Holmes already knows all about Freud. Observation was used by Freud when he observed Holmes state of cocaine addiction and infers from it that Holmes must had a traumatic childhood problem that lead him to get addicted to cocaine. Furthermore, both Holmes and Freud use a style of reasoning, which is reading signs and details in order to uncover secrets. Freud knows that Holmes suffered from psychological trauma involved with his family, that is effecting his current problems, and for sure boredom is not the reason for Holmes’ cocaine use. Holmes uses reasoning when he tells Freud doesnt permit any maid into his private study room evidently because of the dust in Freuds study room. The last method that both used was case-study method that was explanatory analysis of a person or event. Holmes does uses case study method in order to solve mysteries and find the real criminals, while Freud uses case study by analyzing patterns and finding causes for a person’s behavior. Case study method used by both Holmes and Freud, excelled at bringing a deeper understanding to complex issues through experiences and previous research. In addition to having similar methods, Holmes and Freud also had different strategies in their work. Holmes used a method of using blood patterns in order to know where in the room the blood originated, while Freud used subjects life history in order to know why someone is behaving the way they are. Holmes used magnifying glasses while thoroughly analyzing the events, in contrast Freud used his â€Å"pocket watch† which was used for hypnosis especially for cocaine addicts. In the scene when Freud claims that he can stop the compulsion of Holmes cocaine addiction by practicing hypnotism on him, Holmes angrily responds by asking do you propose to make me bark like a dog and crawl about on all fours? Which indicates that Holmes doesnt believe in hypnosis and thinks it is a type of trick used by clowns. The third difference in professional methods used by Holmes and Freud was that they both had different clienteles, for example Freud dealt with patients that were sick and had psychological problems while working inside, in contrast Holmes dealt with finding criminals and worked outside. In conclusion, both Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud can be compared and contrasted in Nicholas Meyers The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as they both shook the foundation of human confidence. Although, Holmes and Freud didn’t participate in the same field, they had many ways that they were similar and their techniques often matched up with each other. Holmes practiced a technique of detective work which was ahead of all other detectives, and Freud truly reversed typical mind believe and human theories. These two spectacular figures were the most original thinkers in their field, and changed history with their remarkable techniques and ideas.