Women in Psychology - Essay Example

?Client’s 6 February Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychology, he found many useful psychological theories; these theories are still being used to great effect. Anna Freud was the daughter of Sigmund Freud; she followed in the footsteps of her father and like her father, achieved a lot in the field of psychology. This paper will expansively present her contribution to the field of psychology. Psychoanalysis is an integral part of psychology; Anna Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis in children. The same is used to diagnose psychological problems in children, for instance a child who behaves violently with his peers would be diagnosed by using psychoanalysis in children and a solution to his problems would be found out. This has helped several children and parents and this has been used to great effect. Anna started showing promising signs right from a really young age, this may have been because she grew up in the household of none other than Sigmund Freud himself. More often than not children start off where their parents left off from and same was the case with Anna Freud. There are several people who firmly believe that she got everything on a golden platter from her father and her originality was nothing and she may not have been as great as she is without her father but all this is completely untrue. She put in a lot of effort and dedication and achieved great things in the field of psychology. She has several published books to her name and her career went from strength to strength after the demise of Sigmund Freud. She always followed the rules set by her father and this was also something which made her great. Anna was also a teacher and this was indubitably something which helped her a lot when it came to understanding children better. She also worked a lot on ego psychology and came out with very useful information about it. Anna always believed that her father’s work was immaculate and his thoughts were as accurate as they could ever get. Anna had difficulties getting along with her mother, her mother was irresponsible and she also decided not to breastfeed Anna, she went on an extended vacation after giving birth to her which in a way meant that she tried to abandon her. “Anna didn't get along with her brothers and sisters very well. She felt she was boring and not "part of them". In addition, she felt especially close to her father. She recalled that "all of my family went off in a boat and left me at home, either because the boat was too full or I was 'too little.' This time I did not complain and my father, who was watching the scene, praised me and comforted me.” (Anna Freud) It is really important to understand that Sigmund Freud was tempted to analyze the behavior of Anna because she did not get along too well with her mother. He did a lot of research on Pre Oedipal stages to know how a child’s behavior is affected when the child is cut off from his mother. Role of a mother in a daughter’s life also became one of his prime focuses which was later analyzed by Anna also. “In April of 1922 Anna wanted to become a member of the International Psychoanalytic Congress that was to be held in Berlin in September. She contacted her close friend and President of the Congress, Max Eitigon. In order to become a member of the Congress, she would have to prepare a lecture from her analysis of a patient. However, since Anna did not have any patients, it is believed she analyzed herself for the presentation.” (Anna Freud) The fall of 1925 was really important in the life of Anna, she met two women, and these women went on to help Anna significantly in the field of psychology. Dorothy T. Burlingham was the first important women that she met in the fall of 1925, Dorothy was a psychoanalyst herself. The techniques used by Sigmund Freud to analyze the behavior of adults were completely different from the techniques that Anna used in the psychoanalysis of children; this also meant that there was an inevitable clash of ideas. The Little Hans Theory founded by Sigmund Freud was refuted by Anna when she began doing the psychoanalysis of children. “Her father stated that "symptoms give us our bearings when we make our diagnosis." But children's symptoms, Anna noted, are not the same as those of adults. They are related to particular developmental stages, and they are often transitory in subject. At the time her practice was growing, she was starting to notice things within herself that she needed to work on if she were to be an effective counselor. She had an "unreasonable need for praise and admiration." She wanted her father to view her differently then the women he often encountered in analysis.” (Anna Freud) Anna faced several problems in the year 1929; the stock market crash affected the world severely. Several economies across the globe could not take the shock and if this was not enough a wave of Nazi attacks forced her into relocating several times and this also affected her progress in the field of psychology. Anna started working on defense mechanism from 1934 to 1936. This was a great book written by Anna, the book was written considering three very important purposes in mind. “The first was to generally review the technical and theoretical developments that had taught analysts how to give equal consideration clinically to the id, ego and superego. Secondly, to review the mechanisms her father had isolated and described and elaborate on them and summarize them. Lastly, to incorporate her experience thus far with defense mechanisms. She finished the book in time to present to her father on his eightieth birthday, of which he was extremely pleased. In return her gave her a copy of his book Moses and Monotheism.” (Anna Freud) “A Child is being beaten” was being worked on by Sigmund Freud but after the demise of her father, Anna decided to make progress and she did exactly that. She found out that day dreaming would suppress masturbation in children and this was a one of a kind finding. In the year 1936 she came out with a book by the name “Classic monograph on ego psychology and defense mechanisms” Anna relied heavily on Sigmund Freud’s writings and findings and this helped her a lot in bringing out this book. Anna herself accepted that it was her years in London when she made significant progress and wrote several papers on psychology. Some of her psychoanalytical papers that she wrote in London are still being used as a reference point by many and this once again highlights her achievements. Anna Freud made significant contributions towards psychoanalysis in children and in several other fields of psychology. Though she lived in the shadow of her father, she was never overwhelmed by that shadow. Many believe that she did not have originality and she merely stated what her father had found out but this is anything but the truth. This paper has shed light upon the significant contributions made by Anna Freud in the field of psychology. The paper also shed light upon the personal life of Anna Freud, it is important to know that as a child Anna did not have the greatest of all relationships with her mother, her mother decided to go for an extended holiday after she gave birth to her, she also was against breastfeeding Anna, all these instances played a key role later on in the life of Anna. Sigmund Freud also became interested in child psychology because he wanted to analyze the behavior of children who did not get along too well with their mother, this also provided an ideal opportunity for Anna to dig deep into child psychology and she did exactly that. Her contribution towards child psychoanalysis is unmatched and it would be really unfair to say that she had no originality of her own. Anna Freud was a great child psychologist which found many theories which are still being used to diagnose several psychological problems in children, she was a woman of substance who had originality and the dedication to continue on the great work done by her father in Sigmund Freud. Works Cited Anna Freud (2012). The Freuds. Retrieved from: Read More