Key points

Ernest Dichter was a key figure in American business in the mid-20th century.

Dicher applied psychoanalytic theory to marketing and advertising.

Dichter is considered the "father of motivation research."

Although he is no longer a household name, Ernest Dichter was a well-known figure in the Mad Men era of advertising and marketing. Born in Vienna in 1907, Dichter left school at age 14 to support his impoverished family. His father was a failed salesman, and this, combined with his self-image as an outcast due to his red hair, poor athleticism , and Jewish heritage, served as the roots of his lifelong insecurity and belief that all individuals seek, more than anything else, stability and prosperity.

As a teenager , Dichter worked in his uncle’s department store as a

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