Ida Bauer

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Ida Bauer (1882–1945) was a hysterical patient of Sigmund Freud. He wrote a famous case study about her using the pseudonym 'Dora' This Study is published in "Fragments of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria" (1905 [1901], Standard Edition Vol.7, pp1-122.) Bauer's most manifested hysterical symptom was aphonia (loss of voice).

'Dora' remains one of Freud's most famous cases, and is often discussed in feminist circles because of Freud's comments in relation to this case, especially comments like This was surely just the situation to call up destinct feelings of sexual excitement in a girl of fourteen in reference to Dora being kissed by a 'young man of preposessing appearance' (S.E. 7. pp28) implying the passivity of female sexuality and his statement I should without question consider a person hysterical in whom an occasion for sexual excitement elicited feelings that were preponderantly or exclusively unpleasurable (ibid)

After only 11 weeks of therapy, she broke off her therapy much to Freud's disappointment. Freud saw this as his failure as an analyst and decided the whole treatment had failed.

After some time, Ida returned to see Freud and explained how her symptoms had mostly cleared. Freud had been the only person to believe her in regards to the situations with 'Herr K' and her father and after the analysis, she had chosen to confront her tormentors (her father, his lover and his lover's husband). When confronted, her tormentors confessed that she had been right all along and following this, most of her symptoms had cleared.

Though Freud was disappointed with the initial results of the case, he considered it important, as it raised his awareness of the phenomenon of transference, which he blamed for his seeming failures in the case.

Freud gave her the name 'Dora' after a maid working in the Freud house by the same name.

Ida's brother Otto Bauer was a leading member of the Austromarxism movement.