The Mothers of Psychoanalysis

When Sigmund Freud introduced his new psychiatric therapy method called psychoanalysis in the early 1900s, it drew broad interest from people in the fields of medicine and social sciences and from the public. Although his theories emphasized the father as a central figure in childhood and portrayed women as dependent and passive, the interpersonal and empathic nature of his “talking cure” lent itself to success for many female psychoanalysts. In fact, from 1914 to 1945, women played a strong role in the development of psychoanalysis. They earned advanced degrees, conducted research, joined professional societies, and published influential books. A new exhibit in the Falk Library Rare Book Room window spotlights some of these women and their publications.

One of the most influential women of this early period was Helene Deutsch (1884-1982). She was one of the first women to earn a medical degree from the University of Vienna in 1912. She was also the first female psychoanalyst to publish a book; it was the first book devoted to the psychology of women. She was the Director of the Training Institute of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Her second book, Psychoanalyse der Neurosen [Psychoanalysis of the Neuroses], was a collection of her lectures published in 1930. It became a standard teaching text for psychoanalysis. Also in the exhibit is her two-volume text The Psychology of Women (1943), which is a detailed collection of women’s lived psychological experiences from adolescence through menopause.

Anna Freud (1895-1982) and Melanie Klein (1882-1960) developed new techniques to analyze young children and prove it was possible. In addition to talking with children during therapy, Anna Freud analyzed their drawings and daydreams. Her 1927 book Einführung in die Technik der Kinderanalyse [Introduction to the Technique of Child Analysis] explains her process. Melanie Klein relied on children’s play and art to understand their unconsciousness, much like Sigmund Freud used dreams in adults. Each patient in her practice had their own toys and art supplies. In 1932, she detailed her therapeutic process in the book Psychoanalysis of Children.

Falk Library also has a very unique book related to psychoanalysis – the Five Copy-Books (1950) by Marie Bonaparte. She had undergone therapy with Sigmund Freud and later played a central role in establishing psychoanalysis in France by starting the Paris Psychoanalytical Society and translating Freud’s work. The Copy-Books are detailed reproductions of her own childhood notebooks that she used in therapy with Freud. They are accompanied by a volume that explains her analysis and cites parts of the notebooks. Only 1,000 copies were printed. The set in Falk Library is numbered 17.

The women featured in this exhibit—Helene Deutsch, Karen Horney, Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Hermine Hug‑Hellmuth, Marie Bonaparte, and Beatrice Moses Hinkle—each helped advance the field of psychoanalysis in the early 20th century, particularly in the treatment of women and children. Their experiences and perspectives as daughters, lovers, wives, and mothers helped make psychoanalysis more inclusive, interdisciplinary, and attuned to women’s lives.