A History of Modern Psychology - Essay Example

?A History of Modern Psychology The human attempt to unveil the secrets of human mind is the base of the origin, growth, and development of psychology, especially the rapid development in modern psychology. One can see that the development of modern psychology is indebted to the theoretical perspectives put forth by eminent psychologists. Besides, psychology deeply influences other important fields, especially the medical field. Within this context, Anna Freud’s contributions are noteworthy because her findings revolutionized the field of modern psychology. Thesis statement: Anna Freud’s theoretical perspective (psychoanalysis) and contributions to the field of psychology (Freudian psychology, ego psychology, child development, etc) prove that she is one among the prominent women psychologists within the history of Modern Psychology. Background: Anna Freud Anna Freud was born in Vienna, in the year 1895. Besides, her mother was Martha Bernays and her father was Sigmund Freud. But she was not able to maintain warm relationship with her mother. So she was looked after by a Catholic nurse, named as Josephine. In addition, she faced problems to deal with Sophie (say, her sister). To be specific, Anna considered that her sister is more attractive than her and this created tension between them. So, these problems created emotional trauma in Anna’s mind and she gradually became affected by emotional and physical problems. Still, Anna did not ignore her education and she completed her education in the year 1912. Later in the year 1917, she started her career as a teacher. But ill health hindered her professional life and was she forced to quit her job. So, Anna decided to co-operate with her father to continue his research in psychology, especially in psychoanalysis. Moe (2007) states that, “Born and educated in Austria, Anna Freud entered psychoanalysis with her father (not an unusual arrangement at the time) in 1918” (p.153). Later, Anna was able to continue the research work of her own and served at Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute. This helped her to gain momentum in the field of psychoanalysis, especially in the field of child analysis. In addition, Anna provided ample importance to the field of ego psychology. Later, Anna went to London and concentrated in her research work in parental care and child psychology. She passed away in the year 1982. Theoretical perspective: psychoanalysis One can see that Anna Freud’s theoretical perspective is deeply influenced by her father’s interest in psychoanalysis. Hergenhahn (2008) states that, “Anna became her father’s emissary to psychoanalytic societies throughout the world, delivered his papers, typed his daily correspondence, and, along with his friend and physician Max Schur, attended to his personal and medical needs” (p.553). But she did not limit her research work within the field of psychoanalysis. Instead, she extended he research work to the context of psychoanalytic child psychology and ego psychology. One can see that Anna’s work named as Beating Fantasies and Daydreams is symbolic of dedication towards psychology. During the initial stages of her career as a psychologist, she cooperated with her father’s research related to psychoanalysis. To be specific, her service at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute helped her to realize the importance of psychoanalysis in child analysis. Later, Anna began to continue her research work in defensive operations. One can see that this initiative is deeply influenced by her father’s research work and contributions to the field of psychoanalysis. Within this context, she considered that psychoanalysis is important within clinical field. To be specific, the interpretation of defensive operations and defense mechanism can be helpful for the clinical psychologists to diagnose the problems faced by the patients. Her research work related to ego and consciousness is interconnected with the structural theory, formulated by her father. So, one can see that Anna’s theoretical perspective extends beyond the boundaries of psychoanalysis. To be specific, she tried to unveil the secrets of the deeper layers of human mind. At the same time, her theoretical perspective was deeply rooted in her father’s interest in psychoanalysis. She was ready to cooperate with her father, and continued his research work beyond psychoanalysis. Anna Freud’s contributions to psychology Anna Freud’s contributions to psychology can be broadly divided into three: contributions to Freudian psychology, contributions to ego psychology, and contributions to the study of child development. Contributions to Freudian psychology: During the initial stages of her career as a psychologist/ psychoanalyst, Anna helped her father in his research work. During this time, she was authorized to deal with the profiles of the children who were suffering from disabilities. This helped her to have deeper understanding of the psychological problems faced by children in general. Edgcumbe (2000) states that, “The richness of Anna Freud’s contributions to psychoanalytic thought derives from the fertile interaction between the clarity of her theoretical conceptualisation and her capacity for penetrating observation” (p.9). So, constant observation and experimentation helped Anna to complete her major contribution (say, work) to Freudian psychology, named as The Writings of Anna Freud. Contributions to ego psychology: Within the context of ego psychology, Anna made use of her father’s findings as the theoretical base for her research. On the other side, her findings were based on her experiences in clinical field. So, one can see that she relied on her father’s theories, continued her research work, and attained further findings. Midgley (2012) states that, “On the basis of her historical review, Anna Freud redefines psychoanalysis to give due weight to the working of ego, especially the unconscious ego and its defensive activity” (p.56). Her work named as Classic monograph on ego psychology and defense mechanisms, published in the year 1936, can be considered as one of her important contributions to the field of ego psychology. Besides, Anna’s findings and contributions accelerated the development of ego psychology as a different branch within psychology/psychoanalysis. Contributions to the study of child development: Anna Freud is generally considered as one of the most important figures within the study of child psychoanalysis. To be specific, Anna’s work named as An Introduction to the Technique of Child Analysis, published in the year 1927 deeply influenced the future development of child psychoanalysis. Besides, Anna provided ample importance to the study of different stages of development during childhood like early child development, later childhood, and adolescent developments. Freud (2011) makes clear that, “Far from being theoretical abstractions, developmental lines, in the sense here used, are historical realities which, when assembled, convey a convincing picture of an individual child’s personal achievements, or, on the other hand, of his failures in personality development” (p.64). The work named as Normality and Pathology in Childhood, published in the year 1965 is another contribution by Anna to the field of child psychoanalysis. In this work, Anna put forth a developmental theory which helped the parents to realize their role in the maturation of their children. So, one can easily identify the fact that Anna Freud’s contributions is not limited to the context of Freudian psychology, but extends to the fields like ego psychology and child development. Summing, Anna Freud never tried to ignore the psychological theories/concepts formulated by her father. Instead, she was aware of the fact that her role in the field of psychology, especially in the field of psychoanalysis, is to strengthen her father’s theories by providing clinical evidences through constant observation and experimentation. Within this context, she made use of Freudian psychoanalysis as the base of her research works. This helped her to contribute more to the field of Freudian psychology, ego psychology, and child development. Besides, she made use of her prior experience at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute to extend her research in ego psychology and child development. In short, Anna Freud’s contributions to psychology are utmost important because she led Modern Psychology towards rapid growth and development. References Edgcumbe, R. (2000). Anna Freud: A View of Development, Disturbance and Therapeutic Techniques. Philadelphia, PA: Routledge. Freud, A. (2011). Normality and Pathology in Childhood: Assessments of Development. London, UK: Karnac Books. Hergenhahn, B. R. (2008). An Introduction to the History of Psychology. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Midgley, N. (2012). Reading Anna Freud. New York, NY: Routledge. Moe, B. A. (2007). Adoption: A Reference Handbook. California, CA: ABC-CLIO. Read More