Close

The name Freud is most often associated with Sigmund, the Austrian doctor who founded the school of thought known as psychoanalysis. But his youngest daughter, Anna Freud, was also an influential psychologist who had a major impact onpsychoanalysis,psychotherapy, andchild psychology.

Who Was Anna Freud?

Anna Freud did more than live in her father’s rather long shadow in the field of psychology. Instead, she became one of the world’s foremost psychoanalysts. She is recognized as the founder of child psychoanalysis, despite the fact that her father often suggested that children could not be psychoanalyzed. She strongly believed that psychoanalysis was not appropriate for children under the age of six, who she thought could be better served through other methods,but still applied psychoanalysis to a wider age range than her father.

She also expanded on her father’s work and identified many different types of defense mechanisms that the ego uses to protect itself from anxiety. While Sigmund Freud described a number of defense mechanisms, it was his daughter Anna Freud who provided the clearest and most comprehensive look at mechanisms of defense in her bookThe Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense(1936).

Many of these defense mechanisms (such asdenial,repression, and suppression) have become so well-known that they are used frequently in everyday language.

Anna Freud is best known for:

Birth and DeathAnna Freud was born December 3, 1895, in Vienna, Austria.She died on October 9, 1982, in London, England

Birth and Death

Anna Freud was born December 3, 1895, in Vienna, Austria.She died on October 9, 1982, in London, England

Early Life

The youngest ofSigmund Freud’ssix children, Anna was extraordinarily close to her father. Anna was not close to her mother and was said to have tense relationships with her five siblings. She attended a private school but later said she learned little at school. The majority of her education was from the teachings of her father’s friends and associates.

Career

Although Anna Freud never earned a higher degree, her work in psychoanalysis and child psychology contributed to hereminence in the field of psychology. She began her children’s psychoanalytic practice in 1923 in Vienna, Austria and later served as chair of the Vienna Psycho-Analytic Society. During her time in Vienna, she had a profound influence onErik Erikson, who later went on to expand the field of psychoanalysis and ego psychology even further.

Her experiences at the nursery provided the inspiration for three books,Young Children in Wartime(1942),Infants Without Families(1943), andWar and Children(1943). After the Hampstead Nursery closed in 1945, Freud created the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic and served as director from 1952 until her death in 1982.

Facts About of Famous Psychologists

Contributions to Psychology

Anna Freud created the field of child psychoanalysis, and her work contributed greatly to our understanding of child psychology. She also developed different techniques to treat children.

Freud noted that children’s symptoms differed from those of adults and were often related to developmental stages. She also provided clear explanations of the ego’s defense mechanisms in her bookThe Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense(1936).

Women Who Changed Psycology

Select Works

Biographies

Biographies of Famous Psychologists

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Freud Museum of London.Anna Freud and child psychoanalysis.Aldridge J, Kilgo JL, Jepkemboi G.Four hidden matriarchs of psychoanalysis: The relationship of Lou von Salome, Karen Horney, Sabina Spielrein and Anna Freud to Sigmund Freud.International Journal of Psychology and Counseling.2014;6(4):32-39. doi:10.5897/IJPC2014.0250Stewart-Steinberg S.Impious Fidelity: Anna Freud, Psychoanalysis, Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press; 2012.Hartman JJ.Anna Freud and the Holocaust: Mourning and survival guilt.The International Journal of Psychoanalysis.2014;95(6):1183-1210. doi:10.1111/1745-8315.12250

Freud Museum of London.Anna Freud and child psychoanalysis.

Aldridge J, Kilgo JL, Jepkemboi G.Four hidden matriarchs of psychoanalysis: The relationship of Lou von Salome, Karen Horney, Sabina Spielrein and Anna Freud to Sigmund Freud.International Journal of Psychology and Counseling.2014;6(4):32-39. doi:10.5897/IJPC2014.0250

Stewart-Steinberg S.Impious Fidelity: Anna Freud, Psychoanalysis, Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press; 2012.

Hartman JJ.Anna Freud and the Holocaust: Mourning and survival guilt.The International Journal of Psychoanalysis.2014;95(6):1183-1210. doi:10.1111/1745-8315.12250

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?