Herbert Freudenberger  Herbert J. Freudenberger (1926–1999) was a German-born American psychologist. Though Freudenberger had many jobs during his life, including practitioner, editor, theoretician, and author, his most significant contribution is in the understanding and treatment of stress, chronic fatigue and substance abuse. Freudenberger was one of the first to describe the symptoms of exhaustion professionally and perform a comprehensive study of "burnout". During 1980, he published a book  dealing with chronic fatigue, which became a standard reference for the phenomenon. Freudenberger was awarded the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology during 1999. Freudenberger was born on November 26, 1926 in Frankfurt, Germany, to a middle-class Jewish-German family. His father was a cattle dealer, while his mother had three jobs: bookkeeper, housekeeper, and business partner. During 1933, Hitler acquired power in Germany. Freudenberger's family was threatened with persecution by the Nazis. After the beating of Freudenberger's grandmother and the death of his grandfather, he fled to the United States, with his parents' approval and a false passport. Traveling alone through multiple cities and countries, Freudenberger arrived in New York, where he cared for himself until a relative gave him shelter. Once he had settled in New York, Freudenberger quickly learned English, and graduated from a junior high school with honors. When his parents finally came to the U.S.A., Freudenberger began work as a tool and die maker's apprentice to assist them, instead of beginning high school. Without a high school diploma and working at the manufacturing plant, Freudenberger began attending night classes at Brooklyn College. In a psychology class, he made the acquaintance of Abraham Maslow, who influenced Freudenberger to earn a degree in psychology and was his model and mentor. During 1951, Freudenberger received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Brooklyn College. He entered New York University's (NYU) clinical psychology program, and earned his master's degree in psychology during 1952, followed by his doctorate in psychology during 1956. During this time, Freudenberger was also a student at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP) (as well as NYU) and continued to work in a factory at night. During 1962, he finished his analytic training at NPAP. Freudenberger started his own psychological-psychoanalytic practice during 1958, which became very successful. From 1970 to 1999, Freudenberger was senior faculty member and training analyst for NPAP, while continuing his private practice.