Freudenberger, Herbert J.

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.

From the guide to the Herbert Freudenberger papers, 1969-1984, (Center for the History of Psychology)