Anna Freud (1895–1982)
Major contributions: Founder of Child Psychoanalysis, Defense Mechanisms, Ego Psychology
Anna Freud, sixth and the youngest daughter of Sigmund Freud, was born in Vienna, Austria in 1895. A renowned psychoanalyst herself, she not only expanded upon her father’s ideas but also influenced other thinkers such as Erik Erikson, thus making some considerable contributions to the field of Psychology.
Founder of Child Psychoanalysis
Anna Freud established the field of child psychoanalysis and her work contributed greatly to the theory of child psychology. She is known for her belief that psychoanalysis was not suitable for children under six years old and thus advocated for alternative methods to better serve the needs of young children. She also founded the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic (later renamed the Anna Freud Centre after her death), in London, where she trained other professionals in child psychoanalysis and provided therapy to children.
Ego Psychology and Defense Mechanisms
Anna Freud’s contribution to ego psychology is also significant. She emphasized the role of the ego in mediating between the demands of the id, superego, and reality. Her work highlighted the importance of a healthy ego in maintaining mental health and functioning. In her best-known work The Ego and the Mechanism of Defense (1936), she provided clear explanations of the ego’s defense mechanisms like regression, repression, reaction-formation, isolation, undoing, projection, introjection, turning against the self, reversal, and sublimation and believed that the defense mechanisms develop with the structures of personality (the id, ego, and superego)
Melanie Klein (1882–1960)
Major contributions: Play Therapy, Theory of Object Relations
Melanie Klein was a pioneering psychoanalyst known for her influential work in child psychoanalysis. She believed that early childhood experiences and the relationships with primary caregivers profoundly shape an individual’s personality and psychological development. She was among the first to use psychoanalysis on children, unlike Anna Freud who believed young children cannot be psychoanalyzed which also led to some ‘controversial discussions’ in the psychoanalysis community.
Play Therapy
Klein believed that play was a child’s natural form of communication and that through play, children express their unconscious thoughts, feelings, and conflicts. She started to use play to analyze children and believed that play was essentially the same as free association used in adult psychoanalysis. She developed techniques to analyze children’s play, believing that it provided insights into their internal world. This approach became known as play therapy and is widely used in child psychology today.
Theory of Object Relations
In terms of object relations theory, Klein proposed that early relationships with caregivers create mental representations, or “objects,” in the mind. The term ‘object’ here does not mean an actual inanimate object but ‘people and experiences with people.’ These internal objects influence how individuals perceive and relate to others throughout their lives. Klein’s work helped expand psychoanalytic theory beyond Freud’s focus on instinctual and sexual drives, highlighting the importance of interpersonal relationships in development.
Karen Horney (1885–1952)
Major contributions: Neurotic Needs, Feminine Psychology, Neo-Freudian Psychology
Karen Horney was a prominent Neo-Freudian psychologist known for critiquing many of Freud’s theories, especially those related to female psychology, sexuality, and his emphasis on penis envy. She also made significant contributions to self-psychology, highlighting the importance of self-analysis and self-help in maintaining mental health.
Theory of Neurosis
Karen Horney’s theory of neurosis revolves around the concept of basic anxiety, which she viewed as the root cause of neurotic behavior. This anxiety, stemming from feelings of helplessness and insignificance due to childhood abuse or neglect, leads individuals to develop ten neurotic needs. These needs, including the desire for power, affection, and social prestige, serve as unhealthy coping mechanisms to manage underlying feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. Horney believed that self-awareness and personal growth were key to overcoming these patterns and achieving a more fulfilling life. Unlike Freud, she focused more on the influence of social and cultural factors, rather than purely biological factors, in the development of neurotic behavior.
Feminine Psychology
Karen Horney made significant contributions to the field of feminine psychology by challenging traditional Freudian views on women and their development. She criticized Freud’s concept of “penis envy,” and instead proposed her theory of “womb envy,” suggesting that men may envy women’s ability to bear children. She also emphasized the impact of societal and cultural factors on women’s psychology, arguing that women’s feelings of inferiority were not innate but were a result of their socialization. Thus highlighted the importance of understanding male and female experiences within the context of their social and cultural environments.
Mary Ainsworth (1913–1999)
Major Contributions: Strange Situation Assessment, Attachment Styles
Mary Ainsworth was a developmental psychologist best known for her groundbreaking work in attachment theory. She worked closely with John Bowlby, the founder of attachment theory, and expanded upon his work by developing an approach to observing a child’s attachment to a caregiver. In a 2002 review assessing the most prominent psychologists of the twentieth century, Ainsworth was ranked 97th based on the frequency of citations in journals, textbooks, and surveys, indicating her significant influence in the field.
Strange Situation Assessment
Ainsworth developed the famous “Strange Situation” assessment, a procedure to assess the quality of attachment between a child and their caregiver. In this experiment, a researcher observes a child’s reactions when a mother briefly leaves her child alone in an unfamiliar room. According to Ainsworth, the way a child reacts reveals important information about attachment. This experiment revolutionized our understanding of early childhood attachments by identifying three main attachment styles: secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-resistant (or ambivalent).
Attachment Styles
Mary Ainsworth identified three main attachment styles through her research using the Strange Situation procedure.
- Secure attachment: Secure attachment style kids feel comfortable exploring their environment when their caregiver is present and show distress when the caregiver leaves. They seek comfort from the caregiver when they return and are easily soothed by their presence.
- Resistant attachment: The child displays intense distress when the mother leaves but resists contact with them when reunited. These children may have inconsistent caregiving experiences, leading to confusion about whether their needs will be met or not.
- Avoidant attachment: The child displays no distress when separated from their mother, as well as no interest in the mother’s return. These children may appear independent and self-reliant but may have difficulty forming close relationships later in life.
Blog By : DEEBHA SITHTA
