By: Missy Cain Psychology pd1 Anna Freud 1895-1982 By: Missy Cain Psychology pd1

THe life of Anna Freud Anna Freud, “her father’s daughter”, was born December 3, 1895, in Vienna, Austria as the youngest child of Sigmund Freud and Martha Freud. She had five older siblings Mathilde, Jean Martin, Oliver, Ernst, and Sophie. Anna and her other young siblings had a nanny to watch them. Josefine Cihlarz was the nanny. When asked if there were a fire who would she save first, Josefine would immediately respond “Anna”. After graduating, Anna was sent to Sicily and Italy with her grandmother to improve her health. In that time letters were sent between her and her father, Sigmund Freud, they spoke of an illness only referred to as “it”, but it is thought she suffered from depression, and possibly anorexia. In December of 1920, the Freuds fell ill to influenza, causing Anna to lose her older sister Sophie and making her give up teaching. In the Fall of 1925, Anna met Dorothy T. Burlingham, who was the mother of one of Anna’s patients. Burlingham would become a lifelong friend of Anna’s

Anna’s career path At age 14 Anna read some of freud’s books and sent him a letter talking about her interests in his work.In June 1914 she passed an exam to become an apprentice in elementary school.At age 19 she studied for two years to become a teacher. In the summer of 1915 she passed her teachers examination. She then began translating her father’s works into German. In the summer of 1918 she tried a form of teaching called “project teaching” which brought her to teaching one month in Hungary. In April 1922 she wanted to join the International Psychoanalytic Congress, to join she had to present a lecture from her analysis of her patient, since she had none, it is believed she spoke about herself.

Career continued Anna set off to Berlin on March 2nd to try and start a practice. From 1924- 1929 she spent her time taking over her father’s work, and in 1924 she became a member of his closest advisors. In 1947 her and Burlingham established the Hampstead Child Therapy Course Clinic in London. They provided training for those interested in the psychological and emotional development of children.

Anna’s theories Anna Freud is the founder of child psychoanalysis. She believed in order for psychoanalysts to work with children they must have a thorough understanding of the stages of development. In order to understand the stages, she felt you must directly observe children . She thought if the ego gives itself to the id the person will change into that of instinct and riot in adulthood, but if the ego gives itself over to the superego the person will confine their id into the narrow limits for the child. She felt the ego was a defense mechanism and turns a person’s instinct on themselves causing phobias, anxiety by obsessional thinking and behavior. Her thought was a child who is kept in pace in the stages with their peers can be considered healthy. when a child is lagging in one section of development, then one could know something is wrong with said child.This issue needs to resolved in adolescence or the consequences can be devastating emotionally for the person.

Theories continued In her studies of children she found, parents are a major part of children’s lives. she felt the best way for the therapist to be is to be a caring adult not a new friend and not a substitute parent. A therapist should not try to take that role, but the therapist cannot pretend to just be another adult in the child’s life.Anna led the way of using natural experiments: careful analysis of groups of children who had similar disabilities and encouraged long-term studies of a child from early childhood through adolescence.