Anna Freud was born on December 3, 1895, in Vienna, Austria.¹⁾

She was the sixth and youngest child of Sigmund Freud and his wife, Martha Bernays.²⁾

Anna was very close to her father and often referred to him as her “best friend.”³⁾

She grew up in a home that was filled with discussions about psychology and the workings of the mind.⁴⁾

Anna Freud was instrumental in the development of child psychoanalysis.⁵⁾

She founded the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic in London, which later became the Anna Freud Centre, dedicated to the treatment of children and young people with mental health issues.⁶⁾

Anna Freud never received a formal university education but learned about psychoanalysis through her close association with her father and his colleagues.⁷⁾

She began her career as a teacher and then trained as a psychoanalyst.⁸⁾

During World War I, Anna Freud worked as a volunteer nurse, caring for children who had been separated from their families due to the war.⁹⁾

She wrote numerous influential books and papers on child psychology and psychoanalysis.¹⁰⁾

Anna Freud's book “The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense” is considered a classic in the field.¹¹⁾

She was a pioneer in the study of defense mechanisms and the ways in which individuals protect themselves from anxiety.¹²⁾

Anna Freud introduced the concept of “signal anxiety,” which is a form of anxiety that warns the ego about potential dangers.¹³⁾

She emphasized the importance of the ego in understanding human behavior and psychopathology.¹⁴⁾

Anna Freud's work on child development and psychoanalysis laid the foundation for the development of child psychology as a distinct field.¹⁵⁾