Barbara Low: Psychoanalyst and Pioneer
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Transcript below
Today I will talk about a figure in the psychoanalytic field who is often reduced to a footnote: Barbara Low.
My name is Simone, I’m a psychoanalyst, and I’ll be hosting this episode.
Table of Contents
Barbara Low (1874–1955)
In the early decades of the 20th century, the British psychoanalytic movement was shaped not just by doctors and high-profile theorists like Ernest Jones, but by a dedicated circle of intellectuals and educators. Among them, Barbara Low was a pioneering figure whose influence reached far beyond the consulting room.
Although she is often mentioned only briefly in biographies of Freud, she helped found the British Psychoanalytical Society and was the thinker who introduced the “Nirvana Principle” to the world.
Early Life and Radical Roots
Barbara Low was born Alice Leonora Low in London to a Jewish family of Hungarian and Austrian descent, and she was the youngest of eleven children. Her family was deeply involved in the intellectual culture of the time, with several of her siblings working as successful journalists.
Barbara’s path to psychoanalysis began with her early work in education, as she trained as a teacher. This experience later shaped her approach to psychoanalysis. She became one of the strongest voices in favour of using Freud’s ideas.
She was a member of the Fabian Society, which was a British socialist group, and she supported the Labour Party throughout her life. This commitment to social change directly informed her belief that psychoanalysis should not be only for the wealthy ones, but a tool for public welfare.
The “Nirvana Principle” and Freud
Barbara Low is best known for a concept she introduced in her book called Psycho-Analysis: A Brief Account of the Freudian Theory: The Nirvana Principle. She defined it as the mind’s tendency to reduce, keep constant, or remove internal tension caused by external stimuli.
Sigmund Freud was so impressed by the term that he explicitly adopted it in his work, Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920). While Freud gets most of the credit for the theory, Barbara Low provided the linguistic and conceptual framework that allowed him to develop his theories in his book.
A Pioneer of the British Movement
Barbara Low was one of the few non-physicians (known as “lay analysts“) to help found the British Psychoanalytical Society (BPAS).
Institutional Roles
• The Librarian: She worked as the Society’s librarian for years, curating the intellectual resources that would train the next generation of British analysts.
• Wartime Leadership: During World War II, she led the committee that welcomed Austrian analysts fleeing the Nazis, helping to integrate refugees like Anna Freud into the British psychoanalytic community.
The Lay Analysis Debate
Barbara Low strongly defended lay analysis – the practice of psychoanalysis without medical degrees. At a time when many wanted only doctors to be allowed in the field to gain scientific respectability, Barbara argued that a background in the humanities, education, and social science was equally, if not more, valuable for understanding the human mind.
Legacy and Late Years
As the British Society split into different camps during the famous “Controversial Discussions” of the 1940s (between the followers of Anna Freud and Melanie Klein), Barbara Low remained loyal to Freud’s original ideas.
She died in 1955, and although she is rarely the focus of major biographies, her influence is present throughout the history of British psychoanalysis.