The psychoanalytic movement introduced the study of unconscious processes that influence human activity. The movement was fully consistent with the German model of mental activity, going back to the writings of Leibniz and Kant. Although act psychology and the Gestalt movement were also modern expressions of the German model, psychoanalysis emphasized the goal of a homeostatic balance of unconscious energies within personality. Its founder, Sigmund Freud, used his keen powers of observation to devise much-needed therapeutic approaches, and later expanded his formulations to a psychodynamic theory of personality growth dependent on tension reduction. Other theorists modified Freud’s model to include cultural influences (Jung) and social needs (Adler and Horney). In addition, scholars have integrated the psychoanalytic model with a field approach (Sullivan) and existential assumptions (Fromm). As a contemporary movement, psychoanalysis still exerts considerable influence in psychiatry and clinical psychology, although the movement is fragmented owing to a lack of methodological agreement. In addition, Freud’s statements on the unconscious have led to new interpretations of artistic expression. However, as a viable model for psychology, psychoanalysis has departed from the empirical foundations of psychology and shares little with other systems of psychology that rely on that methodological approach.

Anna Freud, the youngest of Freud’s six children, devoted her entire life to promoting psychoanalysis and taking care of Freud, professionally and personally. Along with Melanie Klein, she was the first to use psychoanalysis to treat child and adolescent patients, and is thus regarded as one of the “mothers” of psychoanalysis. She also conducted pioneering research on the plight of children during wars and the care of orphans and children who were separated from their mothers. As a neglected child herself, she battled severe depression and anorexia during adolescence. After five years of “secret” psychoanalysis with her father, she emerged as a total devotee of him and his cause, and became a fervent defender of his legacy. Significantly, Anna’s professional career coincided with her intense relationship with Dorothy Burlingham, an heiress of the Tiffany fortune, whose four children were among the first child patients treated by Anna. The two became lifelong “partners” for the last four decades of their lives, eventually living together and co-owning a number of properties. Irrespective of whether they were lesbian lovers, their solid bond served them well and contributed to the success of their remarkable careers.