5 Of The Best Quotes From Anna Freud

Anna Freud was a psychoanalyst who continued the legacy of her father, Sigmund Freud. However, her weight was almost exclusively on children. It was natural when Anna herself had a paradoxical childhood.

From the moment she was born, her mother was already deeply tired of raising children. She already had five other children and did not feel able to dedicate herself to another.

Therefore, she hired services from a governor who became what Anna called a “psychological mother” for her.

Anna Freud psychoanalyzed with her own father . It must have been very difficult for her to be a follower and child of one of the most prominent men in all of history.

Although she was consistent with classical psychoanalysis, these words from Anna Freud reveal a more sensitive side. Here are some of her most iconic quotes…

“Sometimes the most beautiful thing is just the one that comes unexpectedly and unearned, therefore something is given as a gift.”
-Anna Freud-

1. The mother, a common theme in quotes from Anna Freud

Mother thieves are strongly marked in one’s heart. For this reason, several of Anna Freud’s quotes refer to this figure. This quote, for example, is very representative of this.

“When the parents’ feelings are ineffective or too ambivalent, or when the mother’s feelings are temporarily compromised elsewhere, the children feel lost.”

One could say that this is one of the conclusions of her own psychoanalysis. Although she applied it in principle to her individual situation, the quote has universal validity . A child who finds no place in the heart of his parents does not find a place for himself in the world either.

2. About the essentials

Here is another quote that shows Anna Freud’s confusion, her significant lack of maternal love.

“What I have always wanted for myself is much more primitive. It’s probably just love for the people I’m in touch with and their good opinion of me. “

It is normal for those who have grown up with emotional deficiencies to carry a deep emptiness in their hearts. Therefore, manifestations of love and approval of others are crucial. We see this in many of Anna Freud’s words: the desire for a love she never got.

3. Dissatisfaction and life

Life, not only for Anna Freud but for all people, is marked by eternal dissatisfaction. Psychoanalysis suggests the existence of a malaise that has no way of being completely resolved . Life involves so many renunciations of impossible desires that dissatisfaction is within us.

This is what one of Anna Freud’s most famous quotes seems to say:

“If something does not satisfy you, do not be surprised. That’s what we call life. ”

To live means to deal with gaps and contradictions. Dissatisfaction is a part of life itself.

4. Changing the world

Although many of Anna Freud’s quotes show us a soul that is more or less tormented, there is also a great deal of hope within her. This is reflected in her work and many of her quotes. One of them:

“How wonderful it is that no one has to wait another moment before they begin to improve the world.”

This phrase in particular drives Anne Freud away from her father’s rational pessimism. The author of The Future is an Illusion  did not see the world change as likely.

Anna, on the other hand, reflects a great deal of hope in humanity and the constructive changes that can be achieved.

5. Mistakes and truth

Many of Anna Freud’s quotes have a philosophical tone. They address universal themes and allow us to see a different part of her mindset. This, for example, moves away from the analysis of the individual and refers to the collective. It says:

“When an error becomes collective, it acquires the power of truth.”

It talks about the power of the group over the individual. The mechanism by which society gives something a degree of truth.

If many share a mistake, it will create the illusion of truth. In this way, the strength of logic does not prevail, the strength of the collective is stronger.

Anna Freud had a great influence on psychoanalysis. Although she never got the transcendence of her father, she is a very important figure. She is a thinker worth reading about and getting to know.