Otto (Rosenfield) Rank was born in Vienna, Austria on April 27, 1884. Otto changed his name to “Rank” in young adulthood. He felt that this symbolized self – creation, which is his main ideal in life. Otto’s family was not wealthy enough to send him and his brother to college, so Otto became a locksmith while his older brother studied law. He loved music, art, writing poems, reading philosophy and literature. After reading Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams, Otto used psychoanalytic ideas in his manuscript on the artist. Otto met Sigmund Freud in 1905 through his family doctor, Alfred Adler. This meeting was to prove very important for Otto. He took along with him a manuscript of his now published book Art and Artist, which is an attempt to explain art with psychoanalytic principles. Freud was very impressed with the young Otto and encouraged him to pursue a Doctorate Degree in Literature at the University of Vienna. With the help of Freud, Otto did attend the University of Vienna, and in 1912 received his doctorate in philosophy. He was 28. Rank was one of Freud’s favorite disciples. He used to call him “little Rank” because he was only 5’3” tall. (www.ottorank.com) Although Freud had discouraged Otto from pursuing a medical career, he often addressed him as Dr. Rank and referred patients to him. Rank was the secretary and editor of minutes for the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society until 1924.In 1924 Rank published the book The Trauma of Birth. This book argued that the transition from the womb to the outside world caused great anxieties in the infant that may persist as anxiety neurosis into adulthood. (www.britannica.com) This book caused great controversy with the fellow Freudians because it challenged Freud’s concepts. This book is what caused his break with Freud and with the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. He then moved to the United States and continued to teach and p...
