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Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory on Case of Anna O.

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Analyzing the case of Anna O by reading through the case study and looking deeper into Freud's psychoanalytic theory, and also consider how Jung's neo-psychoanalytic theory compares and contrasts with Freud's theory.

One of the very first cases that caught Freud's attention when he was starting to develop his psychoanalytic theory was that of Anna O, a patient of fellow psychiatrist Josef Breuer. Although Freud did not directly treat her, he did thoroughly analyze her case as he was fascinated by the fact that her hysteria was "cured" by Breuer. It is her case that he believes was the beginning of the psychoanalytic approach.

The case of Anna O.
One of the first cases that inspired Freud in the development of what would eventually become the Psychoanalytic Theory was the case of Anna O. Anna O. was actually a patient of one of Freud's colleagues Josef Breuer. Using Breuer's case notes, Freud was able to analyze the key facts of Anna O's case.
Anna O. first developed her symptoms while she was taking care of her very ill father with whom she was extremely close. Some of her initial symptoms were loss of appetite to the extent of not eating, weakness, anemia, and development a severe nervous cough. Eventually she developed a sever optic headache and lost the ability to move her head, which then progressed into paralysis of both arms. Her symptoms were not solely physical, as she would vacillate between a normal, mental state and a manic-type state in which she would become extremely agitated. There was even a notation of a time for which she hallucinated that the ribbons in her hair were snakes.
Toward the end of her father's life she stopped speaking her native language of German and instead only spoke English. A little over a year after she began taking care of her father her passed away. After his passing her symptoms grew to affect her vision, a loss of ability to focus her attention, more extreme hallucinations, and a number of suicidal attempts. (Hurst, 1982).

Both Freud and Jung would acknowledge that unconscious processes are at work in this woman's problems. However, they would come to different conclusions about the origin of these problems and the method by which she should be treated. How does Freud and Jung agree and differ in their case conceptualization and treatment/intervention for Anna O.

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Solution Summary

Case study of Anna O. from psychoanalytic and Jungian perspective.

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Freud's and Jung's view of the unconscious as it applies to this case

1) Freud would conceptualize this case as hysteria (now called conversion disorder).
- Freud conceptualized the somatoform symptoms of hysteria as the result of a neurotic defense mechanism and referred to them as conversion disorder symptoms. The patients' repress their emotional/psychological distress into a somatic dysfunction and is believed to be a defense mechanism of hysterical personalities

-According to Freud, the patient has an impulse or wish that cannot be fulfilled due to negative connotations such as fear, anger, shame, guilt, which is converted into ...

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