Chapter 3, Frau Anna G., Section 2 Summary

Freud writes that Frau Anna's childhood is not sufficient to explain her severe hysteria, so he knows she is hiding something deeper. He believes her breast and ovary pain is a clue to what is really harming her. Questioning Anna, however, is difficult. As it is cold, she often is too sick to come to sessions, and she is always reluctant to answer his questions, particularly sexual ones. Freud solves this problem by realizing she touches her crucifix necklace whenever she withholds the truth, and so he accuses her of things when he knows she is lying. To defend herself, Anna tells the truth.

One anecdote Freud shares in the case study is his convincing Anna to tell the truth about A., her friend during ballet school. While Anna claimed at first she and A...