Pierre Janet

Pierre Janet (1859-1947), French psychologist, born and educated in Paris. He taught philosophy (1881-98) but was also interested in neurology and psychology, which he studied under Jean Martin Charcot. Janet did important pioneer work on the scientific treatment of neuroses and hysteria; his investigations of hypnosis as an aid to understanding the mind and the diagnosis of its disorders greatly influenced the early work of another pupil of Charcot, Sigmund Freud. Among Janet's works are Neuroses (1898; trans. 1909), Major Symptoms of Hysteria (1907; trans. 1920), and Principles of Psychotherapy (1924).