Boris Sidis

Boris Sidis (/ˈsaɪdɪs/; October 12, 1867 – October 24, 1923) was an American psychopathologist, psychologist, physician, psychiatrist, and philosopher of education. A pioneering figure in early 20th-century psychology, Sidis founded the New York State Psychopathic Institute and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, making significant contributions to the understanding of mental dissociation, suggestion, and abnormal psychology. He was the father of child prodigy William James Sidis. Sidis developed influential theories on the subconscious mind and was among the first to apply Darwinian evolutionary principles systematically to psychological research. However, his increasingly vocal opposition to mainstream psychology and Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis led to his professional isolation in later years. He was married to a maternal aunt of Clifton Fadiman, the American intellectual.