It was a memorable day for a talk on Sigmund Freud at the monthly meeting of Bridport & District University of the Third Age (U3A).

The talk, given by David Croman, took place on September 23 – the day on which Freud died in London 75 years ago.

Freud, who was writing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is regarded as the father of psychotherapy and counselling, continues to be a highly controversial figure up to the present day, commented David.

The talk highlighted the impact that Freud’s ideas have had not just in the field of medicine but also in the arts, including painting – the works of Salvador Dali being a particularly vivid example – cinema (Hitchcock’s ‘Spellbound’, for example) and literature.

David retired from Salisbury College in 2008 where he was head of department, having taught psychology and psychotherapy for 10 years.

He had previously taught at Ringwood School, Bournemouth and Poole College and the Open University.

Before going into teaching he was an army officer with the Defence Medical Services and worked in a number of training organisations and military hospitals around the world. David moved to Bridport two years ago.

Plans to form two new study groups were announced at the meeting. One has the intriguing title of the Rant, Rave and Rage group. This will be an offshoot of the Political Thought group and intends to explore political and social issues.

The other is a reading aloud group. For more information on these and the other study groups run by U3A contact Pat Grafton on telephone 01308 898264 or via email on groupsbridportu3a@gmail.com