Finding aid for the Herbert Freudenberger papers

Biography of Herbert Freudenberger

Herbert Freudenberger was born in Germany on November 26, 1927. Freudenberger attended Brooklyn College, earning a BA in 1951 while being mentored by Abraham Maslow. He then earned a Master's degree in 1952 and a Ph.D. in 1956 in psychology from New York University. Freudenberger completed analysis training at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis in 1962 under Theodore Reik. Freudenberger is credited for proposing the idea of "burnout" in his 1980 book Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement. "Burnout" would eventually become a new word in the dictionary. Freudenberger was a psychotherapist in New York and performed research in this area. He was mainly a private practice psychoanalyst for over four decades, but also taught college courses at the New School for Social Research and other schools. He published over 100 articles and books on burnout, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, and homelessness. His concern for the problems of the streets led him to found a free clinic in Spanish Harlem. He also was a consultant to Israel's health system. His expertise in psychoanalysis led him to become the senior faculty member and training analyst at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis from 1970-1999. In 1981, Freudenberger was one of the six founding members of the National Academies of Practice. In 1999, The American Psychological Foundation gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award in Professional Practice. Freudenberger died from kidney disease in New York City on November 29, 1999.

Scope and Content

The papers of Herbert Freudenberger document his research in the area of burnout. There is little biographical information or correspondence in this collection. A sizeable portion of the collection is dedicated to articles and information Freudenberger collected on burnout in various occupational fields. There are also articles and advertisements regarding Freudenberger's own work and achievements. A course that Freudenberger co-taught called "Risking Intimacy" is well documented in this collection with course outlines, notes, and verbatim transcriptions of classes. The class was popular, led to another class of the same name, and the instructors used the class and other research to publish a book by the same name, also covered in these papers. Documents also detail his various articles, presentations, and books Burn-Out and Situational Anxiety.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Subject Headings

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

Cite as: [identification of item], [folder number, box number], Archives of the History of American Psychology, The Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology - The University of Akron

Acquisition Information

The Herbert Freudenberger papers were acquired by the Archives of the History of American Psychology in September 2000 from Arlene Freudenberger.

Processing Information

The Herbert Freudenberger papers were processed by Nick Joyce in July 2008.

Detailed Description of The Collection