Melanie Klein

Anna Freud, born in 1895, was the daughter of Sigmund Freud, the well-known founder of psychology and the psychoanalytic theory. Anna Freud’s work with her father and his friends and associates as well as her own personal studies, curiosities, and analyses lead her to cofound psychoanalytic child psychology. An appealing woman who did not have much of a formal education, Anna Freud, had an extensive background in psychology, an interesting theoretical perspective, and many contributions to the field.

For the purpose of this essay, I will be comparing and contrasting two child development theorists, Donald Winnicott (1896 – 1971) and Eric Erickson (1902 – 1994), and showing how their theories link to therapeutic play.

Karen Horney is one of the preeminent figures and founders of modern psychoanalysis. Although her ideas are not widely taught today or accepted as a basis of psychoanalysis in and of themselves, her ideas of social and environmental influences are “integrated into modern psychoanalysis therapies and personality development theory” (Quinn). She was a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and was one of his early followers. Yet Horney joined the class of neo-Freudians after her research and writing led her to develop and establish psychoanalytical theories that ran counter to Freud's ideas. She objected to the Freudian psychology of women, which instigated the search for her own theories for the causes of neurosis. This in turn led to her

eg: “Possibly, it was an instinctive device of her spirit, to relieve itself, by the exhibition of these phantasmagoric forms, from the cruel weight and hardness of the reality.”

Potential in Fear Exploring the unknown allows humans to maximize their potential and broaden their worldview. However, when humans fail to step out of their comfort zone, the human experience is circumscribed. These ideas are expressed in Beau Lotto’s Ted Talk presentation, “Optical Illusions Show How We See” in which he discusses how our perception dictates the actions we take. Not only does perception apply to the physical ability to see, but also how we react to or make changes in the world.

There exists a place in one’s mind that determines what is real, and what is not. One could argue this distant concept as being linked to the subconscious; others, such as Neil Gaiman, provide a template for existence on the other side. The children’s story Coraline reveals the truth of darkness and confusion in a supposed replicated dimension. The Allegory of the Cave is an essay written by philosopher Plato that explains the analogy of prisoners kept facing a wall in a cave to those who experience a perfectly formed enlightenment of the mind. Those who break free are unveiled into this bright and amazing world and are initially overwhelmed, for everything that they once thought to be is instantly proved to be wrong, or more to say, altered. The theory of forms, applied to this story, assumes the existence of some distant reality, with the perfect “forms”. This idea provides for all things in the real world that we physically and mentally live in. The forms are theoretically donated into the real world, but lose their perfection along the way, and instead inherit a base for numerous opinions: these are the objects that human’s perceive every day. The forms in Coraline are displayed, with all child appeal, as within a physical small door, leading to the “other side” of the flat. In the world, objects are beautiful and wondrous, but confusion of course sets in, as the new view is so astray from the normal source of opinions. The captured sense is new, and truly; horrific.

Followers of Anna and Sigmund Freud’s teachings are usually represented by ego psychology. Modern day ego psychology remains loyal to Freud’s work with a psychoanalytic foundation but is more practical and ordinary of the ego in psychoanalytic application (Boeree, 1998). Erik Erikson, who is well-known for his expansion work in the field of ego psychoanalysis, was mentored by Anna who impacted Erikson’s academic and professional career in psychology. Anna and Erik met when he tutored children at the Heitzing School run by Dorothy Burlingham, Anna’s longtime friend. Anna observed Erikson’s skillful manner with children and expressed interest in guiding him to learn more about child psychology (Erik Erikson, 2010).

During this time period, the infant is in Piaget’s sensorimotor period (James, Nelson, & Ashwill, 2013). During this phase of development, the infant’s early response to stimuli and the outside world is based on the infant’s reflexes. As the infant’s development progresses, thinking and behaviors become more sophisticated and complex. During this phase, infants are primarily concerned with themselves and exhibit egocentric behavior. In addition, infants learn the concept of “object permanence.” The infant initially believes that, because he cannot see an object, it does not exist. However, as the child develops, he or she realizes that an object doesn’t fail to exist simply because it cannot be seen.

Comparison of Primitivist imagery in Wilfredo Lam’s Untitled, 1953 and Matta’s Untitled (Flying People Eaters), 1942.

Observations of the earliest experiences of a healthy toddler are expressed by its relationship with its first possession which is always a transitional object. Transitional objects also belong to the realm of illusion which is the basis of initiating development. This stage is made possible by the capacity of a mother to let the toddler have the illusion that what it creates really exists (Winncott, 1953).

It feels as though most of the time when thinking about psychology and the great contributions that have been made to it, that most of them have been from men, but along the way there have been several influential women that have contributed to the field of psychology as well. Just like men, there were several women who were pioneers, theorists, and counselors; many of these women have contributed to the field of psychology in their own special between the years of 1850 and 1950. Of all these amazing women who are pioneers, theorists, and counselors, the one who stands out the most is Anna Freud. This paper will go on to explain Anna Freud’s

Women have played a very important role in the development of psychology, though they are not recognized as major contributors. In this paper we are going to be focusing on the works and contribution of Anna Freud. She is known for her construction of child psychoanalysis theory and her interpretation of child psychology. Anna Freud (1895-1982) is famous as being involved in the foundation of the child psychoanalytic movement. She was the youngest of Freud’s children and the only one to whose life was devoted to psychoanalysis. Her development of child psychoanalysis has been greatly noted in the history of psychology. Anna Freud kept the basic ideas that her father developed. However, her interest laid in the psyche and how it was constructed. She also took interest in the where the ego stood in the structure of the psyche. She saw the ego as the “seat of observation”; it is from the ego that we can clearly see how the

Article: Carroll, J. (2002). Play Therapy: the children’s views, Child and Family Social Work, 7, pg 177-187

Sigmund Freud was the discoverer and inventor of psychoanalysis and coined the term in 1896 after publishing studies on Hysteria with Joseph Breuer in 1895. Psychoanalysis still remains unsurpassed in its approach to understanding human motivation, character development, and psychopathology. Freud’s insights and analyses of psychic determinism, early childhood sexual development, and unconscious processes have left an indelible mark on psychology (Korchin, 1983).

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, is predominantly recognized as one of the most influential and authoritative thinkers of the twentieth century. Freud gave a broad perspective on things involving dreams, religion, and cultural artifacts while still focusing on different states of the mind, such as unconsciousness. Freud also relied on a local sexual repression issue to create theories about human behavior. His theories and ideas of psychoanalysis still have a strong impact on psychology and early childhood education today. Freud’s most important claim is that with psychoanalysis he had invented a new science of the mind, however, remains the subject of copious critical debate and controversy.