Psychology in Vienna

Vienna is an incredibly unique city to study psychology abroad in. This has been the place of major influence on the discipline, with two of the most notable schools of psychology being established here and boasting the workplace of famous names such as Sigmund Freud and Victor Frankl. Psychoanalysis, established by Freud has influenced the way that everyone views the field of counseling to this day. Anyone who has ever taken an introductory class in psychology knows those names, and walking the same streets that they did adds an extra level of uniqueness to studying here.

There are many ways to get learn and explore more about psychology than through class. Beyond Freud and Frankl, there are museums that focus on other aspects of psychology that are just as important to visit! While seeing the home of Freud may be incredibly interesting and unique to the city, Vienna is the home to much more interactive psychology exhibits. Though you may not think of it as a psychology museum, the Museum of Illusions falls under that category! It is one of the few places where each exhibit can and should be touched! Take pictures that look like you are towering over friends or growing 10 feet tall as you walk! Look at seemingly normal pictures that start to move! Before coming to Vienna, I had taken a perception psychology class that had gone into all the different reasons why these brain tricks work, and my professor told us that this was an absolute must-do if we ever found ourselves in the city! Although I had spent the whole semester learning about all the different types of illusions and the structures in the brain that were the reason that they occurred, seeing them in person and getting to recreate pictures that I had seen was really fun! I got to pretend that my head was served on a platter and almost fall over while walking in a tilted room.

If the history of mental health treatment is something that interests you, there are a few museums that you should add to your list. Fool’s Tower, built in the 18^th century, was considered one of the most modern asylums of its time. It is also considered to be the world’s first psychiatric hospital! Now, it is home to the Federal Pathological Anatomical Museum, which depicts the history of the pathology and the treatment of disease. The Victor Frankl Museum provides an insight into the second most popular school of psychology in Vienna, logotherapy. There are also a variety of walking tours that also show more of the psychological history in Vienna!

There is an abundance of psychology in the city and you haven’t experienced it if you don’t take the time to visit at least one of these museums! I believe that each one adds a new level of experience to the content that is being taught in class, and it makes it much more personal. Vienna is the best place to study psychology in my opinion and I have loved seeing all the city has to offer.