Anna was the sixth child born to the Freud family, born on December 3, 1895. Anna grew up a troubled child, never able to establish a relationship with her mother or her siblings, especially her sister Sophie. Sophie was only one year older than Anna, but was much more attractive, though not as smart. The two constantly were at war, battling for their father's affection. Anna also struggled with what she called "unreasonable thoughts and feelings". Sigmund Freud repeatedly sent his youngest daughter to health farms where she could rest and relax. It was thought that young Anna suffered from depression causing her to have eating disorders which explained her slight build. Anna and Sigmund began to grow extremely close, which Sigmund often wrote about in his journals, more often than any of his other children. In 1918 Anna’s father began an intense psychoanalysis on her and soon after Anna became obsessed with her father’s studies. In 1923, Anna began her own psychoanalytical practice with children, and two short years later began teaching child analysis at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute. In 1936 Anna published her work on "ways and means by which the ego wards off displeasure and anxiety", The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, which estblished her career as a leading theoretician.
Anna committed her life to protecting her father’s legacy and was constantly striving to uphold his theories. It has been suggested that the Oedipus Complex was present in Anna and Sigmund’s relationship, but has never been proven. Anna died on October 9, 1982 at the age of 86.
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