Story of Lou Andreas-Salomé

The start is given! This month's stories will have as their guiding theme the theme "Women in Psychology".

In this context, we will start with Lou Andreas-Salomé, the philosopher, novelist, psychoanalyst and fascinating figure whom is still little studied academically.

Her journey, marked by intense intellectual curiosity and freedom, challenged the conventions of her time and paved the way for future generations of women in the field of psychology.

First years 

Born in 1861 in Imperial Russia, Salomé was an intellectual pioneer from a young age. At age 17, she asked Dutch pastor Hendrik Gillot to teach her theology, philosophy, world religions, and French and German literature .

She attended university in Zurich and then traveled to Rome. Her thirst for knowledge led her to interact with some of the most brilliant minds of her time, including Nietzsche, Freud, Paul Rée and Rilke.

A brilliant mind

Anyone who knew her could not fail to be impressed by the originality of her thinking and her intelligence.

It is possible to say that the most important men of her time considered her as intellectual equals. However, it was not easy for her to achieve this, as they did not stop seeing her as a woman and tried numerous times to transform their intellectual relationships into loving ones. That was exactly what she didn't want. She even proposed to Rée and Nietzsche that they live together in absolute chastity, which did not last long.

Nietzsche recognizes that it was she who inspired him to write “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”. Just as Rilke confessed that without Lou his literary creation would not have been the same. Ultimately, these relationships influenced those involved and sparked a deep interest in human psychology in Lou.

Psychoanalysis

Salomé meets Freud at a conference, after writing an essay called “Eroticism”.

She later became an active contributor, bringing unique perspectives on sexuality and the female psyche. Having even attended to Freud's daughter, Anna Freud.

They exchanged letters for several years. There they discussed each other's patients and exchanged opinions on various topics. Freud called her the poet of psychoanalysis. The fact that he publicly acknowledged his admiration for her was something astonishing.

Nature of Woman

Salomé explored psychology, writing works that challenged traditional notions of femininity and sexuality.

She even wrote that women are naturally complete beings. Since they didn't need to go out into the world and look for things outside themselves, like men do. Thus, women were superior.

For her, women know how to find meaning in themselves and should therefore embrace their individuality and not try to be like men. Thus, she believed that women should feminize society, moving away from the feminist movement that was emerging at the time.

Marriage

Despite having been vehemently opposed to the idea of ​​marriage, having refused to marry, first, the Pastor who was her tutor, then Paul Rée, Nietzsche and many others, she marries Friedrich Carl Andreas, a linguistics scholar.

However, she would have negotiated a sham marriage with him, having become involved with other men in the following years. There are some speculations, but it is not known for sure what led them to get married on these terms, but that is what happened.

Conclusion

Despite being respected within its cycle of coexistence. History did not contemplate her as it should and little is known about her theoretical, philosophical and psychoanalytic work.

In fact, a large part of her work still has not been translated into Portuguese.

However, Lou Andreas-Salomé's life and legacy teaches us about the importance of intellectual courage and authenticity.

Anaïs Nin once said that Salomé “ created this freedom that we women demand today ”, showing that she experienced in practical life what she thought.

Her contribution to psychology goes beyond her theories. She opened paths for women, showing that the female psyche is a rich source of knowledge and inspiration and that women can be the protagonists of their own stories.