TV series
A secret history of the 20th century.
The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The film is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.
Availability
The Century of the Self premiered March 17, 2002. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
The legacy of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud informs the lives of people throughout the world even to this day, though it's a phenomenon to which most are unaware. The film is an exhaustive examination of his theories on human desire, and how they're applied to platforms such as advertising, consumerism and politics.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud's ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn't need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.
Directed by Adam Curtis
Episode 2
The programme explores how those in power in post-war America used Freud's ideas about the unconscious mind to try and control the masses.
Where to watch The Century of the Self
Episode 3
In the 1960s, a radical group of psychotherapists challenged the influence of Freudian ideas in America. They were inspired by the ideas of Wilhelm Reich, a pupil of Freud's, who had turned against him and was hated by the Freud family. He believed that the inner self did not need to be repressed and controlled. It should be encouraged to express itself.
Where to watch The Century of the SelfEpisode 4
How both the Labour Party in Britain and the Democrats in America have sought to gain power through use of the focus group, invented by psychoanalysts to fulfil desires of the inner self.
Where to watch The Century of the SelfEpisode information updated Sep 20, 2026
Available now in United States
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Adam CurtisNarrator
Anne BernaysSelf
Robert ReichSelf
Edward L. BernaysSelf (archive footage)
Sigmund FreudSelf (archive footage)
Wilhelm ReichSelf (archive footage)
BBC TwoUnited Kingdom
BBCUnited Kingdom