Anna Freud—child analyst*

Abstract

The assistance Anna Freud gave to members of other professions was of a kind that greatly enhanced the reputation of psychoanalysis. The Hampstead Clinic is sometimes spoken of as Anna Freud's extended family, and that is how it often felt, with all the ambivalence such a statement implies. The main task of the ego functions is seen in the attempt to reconcile the demand for gratification made by the instinctive urges with the conditions existing in the child's environment. Originally intended for diagnostic assessment of children, the Profile has subsequently been used to assess treatment results and for research and teaching purposes. It has been adapted for use with other groups, such as adults, adolescents, babies, and handicapped children. It has been modified in many ways, sometimes expanded, sometimes shortened and simplified. The Metapsychological Profile was soon supplemented by the Developmental Lines.