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Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, significantly advanced the field of child psychoanalysis. She emphasized the importance of the ego and its defensive mechanisms, helping to elucidate how children’s emotional conflicts influence their development. Additionally, she founded the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic in London, contributing to the establishment of psychoanalytic child therapy as a distinct discipline.Who Was Anna Freud?
Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, significantly advanced the field of child psychoanalysis. She emphasized the importance of the ego and its defensive mechanisms, helping to elucidate how children’s emotional conflicts influence their development. Additionally, she founded the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic in London, contributing to the establishment of psychoanalytic child therapy as a distinct discipline.
Who Was Anna Freud?
Known For:Founder of child psychoanalysis and contributed to ego and adolescent psychology.Born:December 3, 1895, in Vienna, Austria.Died:October 9, 1982, in London, England.Parents:Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays.Contributions:Anna Freud became a major force in British psychology, specializing in the application of psychoanalysis to children. Among her best-known works areThe Ego and the Mechanism of Defense(1936).She established the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic (1952, now known as the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families).She promoted parent guidance and school consultation as important functions ofthe child therapist.
Because of her lifetime work with children and insight into child psychology through theoretical and practice perspectives, Anna Freud is known as the founder of child psychoanalysis and also contributed to ego and adolescent psychology.
In her own words, she didn’t think “I”d be a good subject for biography, “not enough “action”! You would say all there is to say in a few sentences – she spent her life with children!”
Even in such a simple summary of her life, she greatly expanded her psychoanalytical thought. Her contribution to ego psychology consisted of describing variousmechanisms of defense, including repression (the principal human defense mechanism), projection, and regression.
Her clinical experience and publications offered insight into children’s developmental stages, providing us with psychological techniques to treat children and to understand the existing differences between a child and an adult.
Early Life
Anna Freud was the Austrian-British founder of child psychoanalysis. She was the sixth and the youngest of Martha and Sigmund Freud’s children (Sigmund Freud Museum).
Similar to her father,Sigmund Freud, she contributed to the field of psychoanalysis but with a particular focus on children, revolutionizing the ways children are treated in many fields.
Throughout her work, she combined theoretical and practical perspectives into describing and refining child psychoanalysis.
Though Anna did not have a meaningful relationship with her mother and was jealous of her elder sister’s beauty, Anna was a lively child according to her father as shown in his letter to a friend in 1899 that “Anna has become downright beautiful through naughtiness” (Sigmund Freud Museum).
Anna Freud finished her education at Cottage Lyceum in Vienna in 1912 while uncertain of her career.
Therefore, she moved to England after two years to improve her English, but her time there was cut short due to World War I, resulting in her return to Vienna, where she began toteach at her alma mater in 1917 (Sigmund Freud Museum).
Her further studies consisted of learning from her father’s psychoanalysis work and practical experiences. She became a child psychoanalyst without a medical degree.
Career: Timeline of Contributions
1922Anna Freud presented her first paper,Beating Fantasies and Daydreams,and became a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society (Sandler, 2015).In her paper, she explained that “Daydreaming, which consciously may be designed to suppress masturbation, is mainly unconsciously an elaboration of the original masturbatory fantasies” (Fenichel, 1945, p. 232)
1922
Anna Freud presented her first paper,Beating Fantasies and Daydreams,and became a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society (Sandler, 2015).In her paper, she explained that “Daydreaming, which consciously may be designed to suppress masturbation, is mainly unconsciously an elaboration of the original masturbatory fantasies” (Fenichel, 1945, p. 232)
Anna Freud presented her first paper,Beating Fantasies and Daydreams,and became a member of the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society (Sandler, 2015).
In her paper, she explained that “Daydreaming, which consciously may be designed to suppress masturbation, is mainly unconsciously an elaboration of the original masturbatory fantasies” (Fenichel, 1945, p. 232)
1923-1925She established her psychoanalytic practice with children and became an instructor at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute.During this time, Anna also began to nurse her father as he became a patient of cancer (Sigmund Freud Museum).
1923-1925
She established her psychoanalytic practice with children and became an instructor at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute.During this time, Anna also began to nurse her father as he became a patient of cancer (Sigmund Freud Museum).
She established her psychoanalytic practice with children and became an instructor at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute.
During this time, Anna also began to nurse her father as he became a patient of cancer (Sigmund Freud Museum).
1925-1934Anna became the Secretary of International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) and continued her child analyses while lecturing on the subject, organizing conferences and nursingher father, as well as publicly representing him on various occasions, including award ceremonies (Sandler, 2015).Anna’s work at the Training Institute resulted in her first bookIntroduction to the Techniques of Child Analysis, which consisted of lectures for teachers, parents, and others who came into contact with children.Later, she was invited to present this publication in London, where she discovered her approach to be widely different from that ofMelanie Klein.Through a series of “controversial discussions,” their conflicting theories resulted in the formation of different schools of thought: Anna’s theories of child development and Melanie’s theory of object relations (based on the mother-infant relationship) (Taylor, 2009, p. 78).
1925-1934
Anna became the Secretary of International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) and continued her child analyses while lecturing on the subject, organizing conferences and nursingher father, as well as publicly representing him on various occasions, including award ceremonies (Sandler, 2015).Anna’s work at the Training Institute resulted in her first bookIntroduction to the Techniques of Child Analysis, which consisted of lectures for teachers, parents, and others who came into contact with children.Later, she was invited to present this publication in London, where she discovered her approach to be widely different from that ofMelanie Klein.Through a series of “controversial discussions,” their conflicting theories resulted in the formation of different schools of thought: Anna’s theories of child development and Melanie’s theory of object relations (based on the mother-infant relationship) (Taylor, 2009, p. 78).
Anna became the Secretary of International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) and continued her child analyses while lecturing on the subject, organizing conferences and nursing
her father, as well as publicly representing him on various occasions, including award ceremonies (Sandler, 2015).
Anna’s work at the Training Institute resulted in her first bookIntroduction to the Techniques of Child Analysis, which consisted of lectures for teachers, parents, and others who came into contact with children.
Later, she was invited to present this publication in London, where she discovered her approach to be widely different from that ofMelanie Klein.
Through a series of “controversial discussions,” their conflicting theories resulted in the formation of different schools of thought: Anna’s theories of child development and Melanie’s theory of object relations (based on the mother-infant relationship) (Taylor, 2009, p. 78).
1935-1936
Anna became the director of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute in 1935.
The following year, she expanded the psychoanalytic thought in ego and defenses with her publication ofDas Ich and die Abwehrmechanismen(the Ego and the Mechanisms of Defenses, 1937), which became the founding work of ego psychology and still remains a standard text today.
In this book, she describes various mechanisms of defense and how ego unconsciously protect an individual from unpleasant feelings arising from both within and outside.
Anna Freud underscored the developmental aspects of defense mechanisms, suggesting they emerge in a chronological order as the ego matures.
She argued that certain defense mechanisms, likeprojectionand introjection, become available only after the ego has sufficiently differentiated from the external world.
1937-1938
With the upheavals in Austrian political and economic situations in the 1930s, Anna integrated philanthropy into her psychoanalytic work.
In 1938, the nursery closed due to the arrival of Nazis in Austria, and Ernest Jones (former IPA President) helped in fleeing the Freud family to London (Sigmund Freud Museum).
1939Within a few months of the war, Sigmund Freud passed away. By this time, Anna had established her child psychoanalytic practice in London.
1939
Within a few months of the war, Sigmund Freud passed away. By this time, Anna had established her child psychoanalytic practice in London.
1941Anna, with her friend Dorothy Burlingham, established the Hampstead War Nurseries to provide foster care to children during the war.Due to these nurseries, she was able to observe the impact of separation from families on children’s normal development. Written detailed observations of children’s daily behavior in the nurseries became pivotal practical perspectives for Anna and Dorothy in their work and helped refine the child’s normal and pathological development.Later, they recounted these observations in three publications: Young Children in War-Time (1942), War and Children (1943), and infants Without Families (1944).
1941
Anna, with her friend Dorothy Burlingham, established the Hampstead War Nurseries to provide foster care to children during the war.Due to these nurseries, she was able to observe the impact of separation from families on children’s normal development. Written detailed observations of children’s daily behavior in the nurseries became pivotal practical perspectives for Anna and Dorothy in their work and helped refine the child’s normal and pathological development.Later, they recounted these observations in three publications: Young Children in War-Time (1942), War and Children (1943), and infants Without Families (1944).
Anna, with her friend Dorothy Burlingham, established the Hampstead War Nurseries to provide foster care to children during the war.
Due to these nurseries, she was able to observe the impact of separation from families on children’s normal development. Written detailed observations of children’s daily behavior in the nurseries became pivotal practical perspectives for Anna and Dorothy in their work and helped refine the child’s normal and pathological development.
Later, they recounted these observations in three publications: Young Children in War-Time (1942), War and Children (1943), and infants Without Families (1944).
1947-1980
With Kate Friedlaender (a female psychoanalyst), Anna established Hampstead Child Therapy Courses and later founded a children’s clinic.
Anna began working and analyzing children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and was committed to sharing her analytical work with those who work with children, such as parents, teachers, and pediatricians.
She also traveled to the United States and explored the application of psychoanalytical ideas on family and crime at Yale Law school. This participation resulted in two publications: Before theBest Interests of the Child(1973) with Joseph Goldstein andBeyond the Best Interests of the Child(1973) with Joseph Goldstein and Albert Solnit (Sandler, 2015).
Anna publishedNormality and Pathology in Childhood(1965), which explained all stages of child development from infancy to adolescence and used her personal observation at children’s clinics and other child and adult analyses as evidence.
Anna Freud began to receive honorary doctorates from various universities, including Harvard University and Vienna University. In 1973, she became the Honorary President of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) until her death in 1982.
1982
On October 9, 1982, Freud passed away in London. After her death, Hampstead Clinic was renamed to Anna Freud Center as a tribute and her home in London became the Freud Museum (Sigmund Freud Museum).
Critical Evaluation
Anna Freud established the field of child psychoanalysis and her work contributed greatly to the theory of child psychology. She developed different techniques to treat children, and noticed that children’s symptoms different from those of adults and were often related to developmental stages.
Anna Freud provided clear explanations of theego’s defense mechanismsin her bookThe Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense(1936), including displacement, sublimation, and Regression.
How did Freud Disagree with Klein?
References
“Anna Freud”. (February 27, 2009).Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/freud-anna
Fenichel, O. (1945).The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis. New York: W. W. Norton.
Klein, M. (1961).Narrative of a child analysis: The conduct of the psychoanalysis of children as seen in the treatment of a ten year old boy(No. 55). Random House.
Reuters. (October 10, 1982). Anna Freud, Psychoanalyst, Dies in London at 86. New York Times Archive. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1203.html
Sandler, A. M. (2015). Anna Freud. Institute of Psychoanalysis: British Psychoanalytical Society.https://psychoanalysis.org.uk/our-authors-and-theorists/anna-freud
Sigmund Freud Museum. (n.d.). Anna Freud: 1895-1982. Sigmund Freud Museum Vienna.https://www.freud-museum.at/online/freud/themen/anna1-e.htm
Taylor, E. (2009).The Mystery of Personality: A History of Psychodynamic Theories. New York:Springer.
Key Publications
Freud, A., & Clark, L. P. (1928).Introduction to the technic of child analysis (No. 48). Nervous and Mental Disease.
Freud, A. (1936).The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense.International Universities Press, Inc.
Freud, A., & Burlingham, D. T. (1947).Infants Without Families: Reports on the Hampstead Nurseries, 1939-1945. International Universities Press.
Freud, A. (1954).The widening scope of indications for psychoanalysis discussion.Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 2(4), 607-620.
Freud, Anna. (1966).Normality and Pathology in Childhood: Assessments of Development. International Universities Press, Inc.
Freud, A. (1971).Problems of Psychoanalytic Training, Diagnosis, and the Technique of Therapy, 1966-1970 (Vol. 7). International Universities Press, Inc.
Freud, A. (1982).Psychoanalytic psychology of normal development, 1970-1980 (No. 112). Vintage.
further ReadingPsychoanalytic Play TherapyAnna Freud: The Hampstead War Nurseries and the role of the direct observation of children for psychoanalysisBetween practice and theory: Melanie Klein, Anna Freud and the development of child analysisAnna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
further Reading
Psychoanalytic Play TherapyAnna Freud: The Hampstead War Nurseries and the role of the direct observation of children for psychoanalysisBetween practice and theory: Melanie Klein, Anna Freud and the development of child analysisAnna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Iqra NoorTeaching FellowB.A., Neurobiology & Linguistics, Harvard UniversityIqra Noor is a graduate of Harvard University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology and Linguistics, with a specialization in Global Health and Health Policy. She also served as a teaching fellow and thesis researcher during her time at Harvard.
Iqra NoorTeaching FellowB.A., Neurobiology & Linguistics, Harvard University
Iqra Noor
Teaching Fellow
B.A., Neurobiology & Linguistics, Harvard University
Iqra Noor is a graduate of Harvard University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology and Linguistics, with a specialization in Global Health and Health Policy. She also served as a teaching fellow and thesis researcher during her time at Harvard.
