Anna Freud’s Perspective in Psychology
Anna Freud’s Perspective in Psychology
Elisabeth Jones
Psychology 310
March 30, 2012
Katrina Ramos
Anna Freud’s Perspective in Psychology
There were many important women contributors in psychology. Anna Freud made huge strides in psychoanalysis with an emphasis on child development. Although her first career was not in psychology her occupation as a schoolteacher brought new ideas in child psychiatry. Because she had such a diverse background this led creative research and new knowledge that people still use in modern psychology.
Anna Freud was born in 1895 in Vienna. Her father was Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. She was the youngest of six children born under Sigmund and Martha Freud. Anna Freud was the only child to follow under her father’s footsteps in psychoanalysis (Yorke, 1983). It is interesting to acknowledge that Anna Freud never attended a University, but that never hindered either of her two careers. Her first job was a schoolteacher in the early 20th century in Vienna. Her career as a schoolteacher helped lay a solid foundation to her later research in child development. Because of Anna Freud’s extensive work in child psychology, that she was awarded with various degrees. All the honorary degrees were doctorates and it gave her pleasure that her work in child development would amount to such high regard (Yorke, 1983). One year before Anna Freud passed away she was made “an Honorary Fellow of the Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 1981” (Yorke, 1983, p.333). Even though she was held in such high esteem, Anna Freud is often not widely known, or mentioned when researching the history of psychoanalysis. Through Anna Freud’s work as a teacher, she coveted new theories that aided in the child’s development. She was the first person “to try and work out that a psychoanalytically informed pedagogy would look like” (Midgley, 2008, p. 24). Her first published writing was on “the relation between
Elisabeth Jones
Psychology 310
March 30, 2012
Katrina Ramos
Anna Freud’s Perspective in Psychology
There were many important women contributors in psychology. Anna Freud made huge strides in psychoanalysis with an emphasis on child development. Although her first career was not in psychology her occupation as a schoolteacher brought new ideas in child psychiatry. Because she had such a diverse background this led creative research and new knowledge that people still use in modern psychology.
Anna Freud was born in 1895 in Vienna. Her father was Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. She was the youngest of six children born under Sigmund and Martha Freud. Anna Freud was the only child to follow under her father’s footsteps in psychoanalysis (Yorke, 1983). It is interesting to acknowledge that Anna Freud never attended a University, but that never hindered either of her two careers. Her first job was a schoolteacher in the early 20th century in Vienna. Her career as a schoolteacher helped lay a solid foundation to her later research in child development. Because of Anna Freud’s extensive work in child psychology, that she was awarded with various degrees. All the honorary degrees were doctorates and it gave her pleasure that her work in child development would amount to such high regard (Yorke, 1983). One year before Anna Freud passed away she was made “an Honorary Fellow of the Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 1981” (Yorke, 1983, p.333). Even though she was held in such high esteem, Anna Freud is often not widely known, or mentioned when researching the history of psychoanalysis. Through Anna Freud’s work as a teacher, she coveted new theories that aided in the child’s development. She was the first person “to try and work out that a psychoanalytically informed pedagogy would look like” (Midgley, 2008, p. 24). Her first published writing was on “the relation between
References: Midgley, N. (2008). The 'Matchbox School ' (1927-1932): Anna Freud and the idea of a 'psychoanalytically informed education '*. Journal Of Child Psychotherapy, 34(1), 23-42. doi:10.1080/00754170801895920 Novick, J., & Novick, K. (1992). Review of "A child analysis with Anna Freud". Psychoanalytic Psychology, 9(2), 257-261. doi:10.1037/h0085152 Yorke, C. (1983). Anna Freud, CBE (1895-1982). Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry, And Allied Disciplines, 24(3), 333-338.