Psychopathology and subconscious mind research

Boris Sidis

1867 – 1923

Boris Sidis was a Ukrainian-born American psychologist and psychopathologist who emigrated to the United States in 1887 after imprisonment under the Tsar for revolutionary activities, and became a doctoral student of William James at Harvard. He pioneered empirical research into the subconscious mind, suggestion, and hypnosis, authoring The Psychology of Suggestion (1898) and founding the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. His work on the subconscious as a distinct cognitive layer provided a scientific parallel and partial legitimation for the esoteric emphasis on hidden mental faculties underlying ordinary consciousness.