Anna Freud: Theory & Contributions To Psychology

Defense Mechanisms

One of Anna Freud’s major contributions was expanding the concept of defense mechanisms.

These are unconscious strategies the ego uses to reduce anxiety and cope with internal conflicts or external stress.

In her 1936 book The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, she described many ways people defend themselves psychologically. Some common defense mechanisms she identified include:

1. Repression: Pushing distressing thoughts or memories out of conscious awareness. (For example, a person who experienced a trauma may unconsciously forget the event as a way to avoid the pain.)
2. Denial: Refusing to accept reality or a fact, acting as if a painful event or feeling doesn’t exist. (For instance, someone with a serious illness might insist they are healthy and ignore medical advice.)
3. Projection: Attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings or impulses to someone else. (For example, a person who is angry at their friend may accuse the friend of being angry at them.)
4. Displacement: Redirecting an impulse or emotion from a threatening target to a safer one. (For instance, after being criticized by a boss, a person might go home and yell at their family instead of confronting the boss.)
5. Regression: Reverting to behaviors of an earlier developmental stage when under stress. (For example, a potty-trained child might start bed-wetting again after the birth of a new sibling, as a way of coping with anxiety.)
6. Rationalization: Creating a seemingly logical reason or excuse for behavior that might otherwise be shameful or unacceptable. (For example, someone who cheats on an exam might blame the test for being unfair, rather than admitting wrongdoing.)
7. Reaction Formation: Behaving in a way opposite to one’s true feelings or impulses, often to keep those true feelings hidden. (For instance, a person who feels resentment toward someone may act extremely friendly and accommodating toward them.)
8. Sublimation: Channeling an unacceptable impulse into a socially acceptable or productive activity. (For example, using anger or aggressive energy to excel in sports or to create art.)

Key Point

Anna Freud showed that everyone uses defense mechanisms, not just people with psychological disorders.

She believed these defenses are a normal part of ego development and help us cope with life’s demands.

However, if overused or too rigid, defense mechanisms can lead to unhealthy behavior or emotional problems.

Therapists influenced by Anna Freud often pay attention to which defenses a person is using in order to understand their inner conflicts and to help them respond in healthier ways.

Child Psychoanalysis

Another central part of Anna Freud’s work was child psychoanalysis – she was one of the first to develop a formal approach for treating and understanding children through a psychoanalytic lens.

She recognized that children are not the same as adults in therapy and adapted techniques to suit their developmental level.

Anna Freud’s child psychoanalysis approach was both therapeutic and educational.

She not only treated children’s emotional difficulties but also taught parents and other caregivers about normal developmental stages and how to support children through challenges.

Her work during World War II with orphaned and evacuated children also demonstrated how trauma and separation affect development, reinforcing the idea that a stable, loving environment is crucial for children’s emotional well-being.

1. Adapting Freud’s theories for children:

Anna Freud believed the basic ideas of psychoanalysis (such as the importance of early experiences and unconscious conflicts) apply to children, but the therapy methods must be modified.

For example, she suggested that true psychoanalytic therapy be done once a child reaches the latency period (around age 6 and up).

Before age 6, rather than using formal analysis, the focus should be on guiding the child’s environment (home, caregivers, routines) to support healthy development and prevent problems from taking root.

In other words, very young children benefit more from a nurturing environment and supportive guidance than traditional talk therapy.

2. Therapeutic alliance with children:

Anna Freud emphasized building a strong trusting relationship with child patients.

Unlike adults, children usually do not seek therapy on their own and might feel uneasy or sent against their will.

She would spend time joining the child’s world – playing with them, listening to their stories, and engaging in their interests – to help the child feel comfortable and safe with the therapist.

This trust was seen as a foundation before addressing any deeper emotional issues.

3. Use of play and creativity in therapy:

In adult psychoanalysis, patients often lie on a couch and free-associate (say whatever comes to mind).

Anna Freud found that this doesn’t work for children, who have shorter attention spans and different ways of communicating.

She rarely used the couch for kids. Instead, she allowed children to move freely during sessions and provided toys, games, and art materials.

A child might draw pictures or play with dolls, and Anna Freud viewed these activities as meaningful forms of expression that could reveal the child’s feelings and thoughts.

Playing could serve as the child’s version of free association.

For example, if a child was upset about something, it might come out through the themes in their drawings or pretend play.

4. Respect for the child’s individuality:

Anna Freud treated each child as a person in their own right with unique needs and personality. She tailored her approach to fit the child.

For instance, historical notes from her work describe how she helped one shy boy by collaboratively writing down his imaginative stories (supporting his way of expression), and in another case she engaged with a little girl by knitting clothes for the child’s doll.

These individualized interactions helped form a connection and addressed each child’s specific emotional needs.

5. Studying normal development:

In addition to therapy, Anna Freud was very interested in how healthy children grow and what is considered normal behavior at different ages.

She introduced the idea of “developmental lines,” which are pathways describing a child’s progress from infancy to maturity in various areas.

For example, one developmental line goes from total dependence on caregivers to increasing emotional self-reliance; another goes from the messy toddler stage of feeding (suckling or demanding food) to learning independent and rational eating habits.

Yet another line might trace how children move from uncontrollable impulses to developing self-control (like from early toilet accidents to proper bladder and bowel control).

By mapping out these typical progressions (such as dependency → independence, or play → work, etc.), Anna Freud provided a framework to tell if a child is following a healthy trajectory or if they might be stuck or regressing.

This helps caregivers and professionals distinguish between a passing developmental phase and a potential problem that might need attention.

Who Was Anna Freud?