-
13. Freud's Support of Career-Oriented Women
- NYU Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
13. Freud^s Support of Career-Oriented Women The Paradox between Theory and Personal Relations Although Freud was no admirer of feminism in his writings, in his personal and professional life he promoted the growth of a number of women wh o were caree r oriente d an d feminist . Characteristically , thes e wome n wer e either unmarried, separated , or if they were married thei r husbands wer e not importan t t o the m (Roaze n 1984) . Freu d welcome d the m int o th e psychoanalytic group ; h e foun d the m les s difficult an d competitiv e tha n men. H e enjoye d bein g closel y surrounde d b y thi s grou p o f talented , assertive, an d ambitiou s women , an d maintaine d no t onl y professiona l contact bu t established sincere friendships wit h many of them that laste d through hi s lifetime . These women analysts included Lou Andreas-Salome, Marie Bonaparte, Dorothy Burlingham , Rut h Mac k Brunswick , Helen e Deutsch , Jeann e Lampl-de Groot , Hermin e vo n Hug-Hellmuth , Arm y Katan , Mariann e Kris, Mira Oberholzer, Eva Rosenfeld, an d Eugenia Sokolnicka. Some of them shielded him from visitors , arranged his vacations, and stood watc h over his health. Just as he began life surrounded by his mother, his nanny, and late r b y fiv e sisters , Freu d ende d hi s lif e surrounde d b y carin g an d protective women . Traditionally in Victorian society, when men retired or died they passed on their occupational and family interests to their sons, usually the eldest. However, i t was Freud's youngest daughter , Anna, who would carr y his 124 Freutfs Support of Career-Oriented Women 12 5 legacy o f psychoanalysis , an d no t hi s sons . Ann a happil y accepte d thi s mantle fro m Freu d man y years before h e died . Sh e proved t o b e a loyal daughter during his long and painful bout with cancer, which had required repeated surger y an d the daily placement of an uncomfortable prosthesi s into hi s mout h t o enabl e hi m t o ea t an d talk . Ann a neve r marrie d an d devoted he r life to him . Becaus e Freud ha d difficult y talking , Anna gav e his honorary speeches and read his scientific papers at psychoanalytic congresses . During Freud's lifetime, Anna cared for her father physically; afte r his death, she vigorously protected his work from attempt s at revision b y Melanie Klei n an d others within th e British Psychoanalyti c Society . Freud also acknowledged the scientific contributions to psychoanalysi s by women i n his own writings. A number of these women were specially honored b y bein g give n th e secre t rin g Freu d bestowe d upo n hi s mos t talented an d favorit e analysts . Eac h rin g containe d a differen t intagli o stone, an engraved ge m that ancien t Roman s ha d use d a s a seal. Freud' s own ring had the head of Jupiter engraved into his ancient intaglio stone. Originally, i n 1913 , Freud ha d give n a stone t o eac h o f th e member s o f his secret committee, which consisted of Karl Abraham, Sandor Ferenczi , Ernest Jones, Otto Rank , an d Harm s Sachs . At th e suggestio n o f Jones, this group ha d bee n formed prio r t o the departure o f Adler an d Jung t o protect th e futur e o f psychoanalysis . I n a lette r t o Jone s o n Augus t 1 , 1912, about th e secre t committee, Freu d wrote : What took hold of my imagination immediatel y is your idea of a secret council composed of the best and most trustworthy among our men to take care of the further developments of psychoanalysis and defend the cause against personalities and accidents when Iam no more I know there is a boyish and perhaps romantic element to o i n thi s conception , bu t perhap s i t coul d b e adapte d t o mee t th e necessities of reality. Even though the committee...