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Roberto Freire (psychiatrist)

Anarchist author and psychiatrist (1927-2008)

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 9, 2026
Entity authorityQ366250
Source-derived summary

Roberto Freire (São Paulo, b. January 18, 1927; São Paulo, d. May 23, 2008) was a medical psychiatrist and Brazilian writer. He created somatherapy (Portuguese: somaterapia), also referred to as SOMA, an anarchist therapy based on the then radical new ideas of Wilhelm Reich, as well as the Brazilian martial art Capoeira Angola. As an active writer, Freire published more than thirty books in his life, among these his 1966 work Cleo e Daniel was a bestseller.

Early life and education

Joaquim Roberto Corrêa Freire was born in São Paulo on 18 January 1927. Freire studied medicine before going on to conduct research in electrophysiology and cellular biophysics with Carlos Chagas Filho at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. In 1953, Freire moved to Paris to work at the Collège de France in experimental endocrinology with Robert Courrier. Freire completed training in psychoanalysis with the Sociedade Brasileira de Psicanálise de São Paulo, under the guidance of Henrique Schloman. In 1956, Freire worked in clinical support at the Juqueri Psychiatric Hospital in Franco da Rocha.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Roberto Freire (psychiatrist)” as anarchist author and psychiatrist (1927-2008). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1927, 2008, 1966, 1953—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1927-01-18. The account is most persuasive where Roberto, Freire and psychiatrist can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as anarchist author and psychiatrist (1927-2008). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q366250. VIAF identifies the subject as 265728110. The Library of Congress control number is n80105070. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1927, 2008, 1966 and 1953.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Roberto Freire (psychiatrist)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Roberto Freire (psychiatrist) primary sources, Roberto Freire (psychiatrist) archive and Roberto research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Roberto Freire (psychiatrist)”?
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  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Roberto Freire (psychiatrist)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.