Freud and the Eleven Plus

Freud made us aware of the need to understand the human mind. He stressed the difference between conscious and unconscious thought.

He postulated ideas that long ago that led to a feeling that psycho analysis would help to engender free and natural development through the prevention of repression. Of course his ideas led to many half baked theories about the need for `free discipline'. The real benefit of his work was a deeper understanding of the causes of delinquency in childhood - and an understanding of some of the ways in which such causes can be avoided. Freud also made us aware of how different approaches could contribute to methods of handing problem children.

In eleven plus terms Freud would have pointed out that a child learns best when the child's energies and drives are properly engaged.

There is an old saying in education: "There are no such things as problem children, only problem parents."

In Freudian terms a child identifies with his or her parents - and with his or her teachers. For some children it is all too much to have a parent who is also a teacher. This leads to the emotional peaks and troughs of the relationship between the child and his or her parents.