Otto Rank Papers UPT 50 R198

Summary Information

Prepared by

Theresa R. Snyder

Preparation date

1992

Date [inclusive]

1912-1936

Extent

1.0 Cubic feet

PROVENANCE

Transferred from Van Pelt Special Collections, April 1992.

ARRANGEMENT

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Dr. Otto Rank, an internationally known psychologist, was born in Vienna in 1884. Rank attended the University of Vienna where he graduated with a Ph.D. He was considered a brilliant student of Dr. Sigmund Freud. From 1912 to 1924 Rank edited two leading journals of psycho-analysis, Imago and International Zeitschrift für Psychoanalyse. He served as founding director of the International Psychoanalytic Institute from 1919 to 1924. Throughout this time he remained closely affiliated with Freud. In 1925 Rank broke from Freud’s emphasis on the conflict within the unconscious to take a more radical approach. Rank was concerned with the importance of the conscious. In 1926 Rank moved to Paris, and in 1936, after yearly visits to lecture, he moved to the United States.

Some of his early works included The Trauma of Birth, Don Juan (concerned with the study of split personalities), and The Will to Happiness. Art and education were of interest to Rank, and these interests were reflected in his publications Art and Artists (1932) and Modern Education (1932). Truth and Reality and Will Therapy, both published in 1936, were among his later works. His academic career included lecturing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social and Health Work, 1929-1939 and at the Graduate School for Jewish Social Work in New York, 1934-1939.

Otto Rank married Estelle Buel; they had a daughter Helene Rank

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The papers of Otto Rank are predominantly composed of his writings, 1912-1936. Given his departure from Freud’s theories, there is a fair representation of Rank’s development as a psycho-analyst. The focus of this collection centers around his early study of dreams as well as on mythology and literature. There are translations of his later works, specifically Truth and Reality and The Technique of Psycho-Analysis. The writings are a mix of published and manuscript items, and in many cases the collection contains both for some topics. For the most part the material is in English (or there are also translations). There are, however, some works in German.

Controlled Access Headings

Occupation(s)

Psychoanalysts.

Personal Name(s)

Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939

Subject(s)

Male homosexuality.

Narcissism.

Psychoanalysis and literature.

Splitting (Psychology).

Inventory