The Unmirrored Self, Compensatory Structure, and Cure: The Exemplary Case of Anna O

“At the time of her falling ill (in 1880) Fraulein Anna O. was twenty-one years old” (Breuer and Freud, 1895, p. 21). Dr. Josef Breuer (who had probably been the family physician for several years (Hirschmuller, 1989, p. 101) saw her in late November for an extremely intense, persistent cough, weakness, appetite loss, and anemia. Her father lay dying of a subpleural abscess or peripleuritis (the most likely cause of both at that time was tuberculosis [Hirschmuller, 1989, p. 101]). According to Breuer (Doc. 23, p. 1), the patient “compensated” for what he considered a deprived and sterile life (I discuss this point later) by “revelling in her … gifts of poetry and fantasy” and by “passionate fondness for her father who spoils her …” (cited in Hirschmuller, 1989, p. 276). Not surprisingly, then, since the night of July 17, when he became gravely ill and a surgeon operated on the abscess, Anna O, at the same time, reveled in fantasy and “devoted her whole energy to nursing [him]” (Breuer and Freud, 1895, p. 23). Now, her mother with whom she shared the nursing duties, and her dominating 20-year old brother, a law student at the University, excluded her from the sick room, declaring her too ill to continue to care for him. Soon she was excluded altogether, “suffered deeply from pining for him” (p. 283), and took to listening at his door late at night. They lied to her when he was dying and prevented her from seeing him one last time (pp. 283-284). (Their disregard of her made her feel “cheated” and alienated from mother and brother and was