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This period, the building up of psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud, would also see the outlines of what was to become child psychoanalysis. Well before 1900, Freud had already worked in paediatric departments. Following the publication of Freud’s Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality in 1905, the Psychoanalytical Society of Vienna started to become interested in the sexuality of young children. The Society’s Wednesday evening discussions became very heated, all the more so since those present were using examples taken from their own families, mentioning the ‘exploits’ of their own young children. Carl Jung in Zurich and Karl Abraham in Berlin also took part enthusiastically, and corresponded with Freud on the subject. His correspondence with Jung, through which permeates the unease which would lead to their separation, sometimes takes an amusing turn; for instance, when Freud writes to Jung: ‘I hope Agathli [Jung’s daughter] is original and hadn’t heard the story of Little Hans?’ At other times it is moving, such as when Mrs Jung tries to get the dual message across to Freud that it is not easy to be the father of his children, nor that of…Jung. ‘I wanted to ask…if you were sure that your children could not be helped by analysis. One is not to the son of a great man without impunity if one has such difficulty in casting off ordinary fathers…wasn’t your son’s broken leg in the same vein?’ (Freud and Jung, 1974).
The publication of the analysis of little Hans in this climate was a significant event, because it confirmed Freud’s theoretical views and also because it demonstrated that it was possible to carry out analytic treatment on a young child under certain conditions.
It was difficult at that time to know where this interest in child psychoanalysis would lead. Should the number of observations of the child be multiplied in order to confirm psychoanalytical theory? Should the dream of a psychoanalytical education to ensure the prevention of neuroses be pursued? Sándo