Anna Freud Case

Anna Freud

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Anna Freud

Sigmund Freud is possibly the most renowned individual in regards to psychological theory in the history of the discipline. Acknowledged as the "father of psychoanalysis" Freud introduced controversial theories which included the importance of the "unconscious" mind, the influence of the "id", "ego" and "superego" on behavior and the significance of dreams, however; many individuals do not realize that Freud was also the father of 6 children; one of these children; Anna, would follow in her father's footsteps and create her own impression on the field of psychological theories and investigation.

Born on December 3, 1895, Anna Freud was the third daughter of Sigmund and Martha Freud; ages 38 and 34, respectively. Freud had hoped for another son to join his three boys; Oliver, Ernst and Jean-Martin, and was rather disappointed when his sixth and final child turned out to be female. Nevertheless; Freud considered the birth of Anna to be a piece of good fortune simply due to the fact that after her arrival, his client-base doubled; most likely an unrelated occurrence. From the beginning, Anna and her mother did not form the same type of bond which was present with the other children. As the years passed, Anna and her father became particularly close; he began to notice that she was "different" from his other children in that she shared his love of investigation into subjects dealing with academics and sciences. Anna showed an obvious disregard for the more "feminine" aspects of her sisters and preferred to indulge in more "masculine" tasks and activities.

Anna graduated school when she was 17 years old and 3 years later, became a teacher, initially educating youngsters in the third-fifth grade levels. During this period Anna complained to her father of an "illness" which she was experiencing and he began analyzing her in an effort to discover what the underlying cause might have been. Freud's analysis of his daughter lasted 4 years. It has been speculated that Freud based his "oedipal theory" on his findings during his daughter's analysis. This is of course impossible to prove since Freud was notorious for not keeping progress reports or notes relating to his patient's therapy sessions. During this time with her father, Anna began to realize that she too shared a great interest in the field of psychology. Even though a number of her father's initial followers, such as Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, eventually abandoned the Freudian "school" to formulate their own theories, Anna continued to pursue her father's philosophy and beliefs. While Sigmund Freud placed his focus of concentration on adults, Anna directed her attentions to the analysis of childhood.

Although Anna Freud never earned a higher degree, her work in psychoanalysis and child psychology contributed to her eminence 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 on Erik Erikson, who later went on to expand the field of psychoanalysis and ego psychology (Cherry, 2010).

Anna Freud has been considered as many things over the years. Her colleagues have named her as everything from a radical trendsetter to a steadfast traditionalist. Her renowned efforts regarding the ego and defense mechanisms was without a doubt, a ground-breaking innovation, yet she was a devoted conformist in challenging the alleged expanding latitude of psychoanalysis and its use in individuals who presented with conditions which could be considered to be "borderline".

In 1936, Freud's book entitled The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense was published. In the book she provides an exceptionally comprehensive narrative of the ways in which defense mechanisms operate, in both adults and adolescents. The theories put forth in the publication propelled the advancement and furthered the interest of "ego psychology" in what was considered to be the "Freudian" circle, i.e. those individuals who were already staunch believers in the theories proposed by Anna's father. Freud realized that dealing with children and adolescents was much different than dealing with adults; the same type of approach employed by her father to analyze his patients was inappropriate for children. She understood that in order to assist children, she could not simply become another "friend" or "playmate" yet she could not attempt to take over the parent's role in the child's life either. Additionally, the child was not the only individual who was implicated in treatment and its outcome; caregivers and/or parents had to be involved in important decisions which children would not be capable of making on their own. Freud also realized that due to the fact that children tend to be more open and present their problems in a more honest, outward fashion, many times there was no need to delve exceedingly deeply into their psyche. She knew that immediate and present problems were most often the causes of psychological conditions in youngsters as opposed to adults simply because they had not been confronted with the problems of adult life

Freud assisted in founding the