Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- ?1920-1960 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 box
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Susan Isaacs was born on 24 May 1885. She trained as a teacher and gained a degree in philosophy from Manchester University in 1912. Following a period as a research student at the Psychological Laboratory, Cambridge, she was Lecturer at Darlington Training College from 1913 to 1914 and then Lecturer in Logic at Manchester University from 1914 to 1915. After analysis with J C Flugel in 1920-1921, she travelled to Vienna for analysis with Otto Rank in 1921. Between 1924 and 1927, she was Head of Malting House School, Cambridge, an experimental school that fostered the individual development of children, where she carried out her pioneering research in child development. She went on to become the head of the newly established Department of Child Development in the Institute of Education in London University.
Isaacs became an Associate Member of the British Psychoanalytical Society in 1921 and a Member in 1923. In 1928 she entered analysis with Joan Riviere. She qualified as a Child Analyst in 1935. She joined the staff of the London Clinic of Psychoanalysis in 1931 and the Training Committee of the BPAS in 1944-45, playing an important role in the Society's Controversial Discussions.
She married twice, firstly to William Broadhurst Brierley and secondly to Nathan Isaacs in 1922. She died on 12 Oct 1948.
Repository
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Writings and lectures on psychoanalysis and childcare, as well as material related to Isaacs' activities in the British Psychoanalytical Society, including the Controversial Discussions in the 1940s.
Papers relating to Isaacs' work on psychoanalysis and child analysis, including her writings and publications (typescripts and offprints, as well as cuttings of articles and advice columns in 'Nursery World' and 'Home & School') and incomplete sets of lectures on anthropology and child analysis. Also included are a small number of notes/papers commenting on the work of other authors, as well as papers and correspondence related to Isaacs' activities in the British Psychoanalytical Society, including the Controversial Discussions in the 1940s.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
The material is arranged into four series:
P19-A – Writings
P19-B – Lectures
P19-C - Notes on other authors
P19-D - British Psychoanalytical Society
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Access to our archive collections in our reading room is by appointment only; please email the archivist to arrange your visit. Please note that access to material that is in poor physical condition may be restricted.
Access to the information in our archive is governed by our access policy and guided by sector ethical codes and relevant legislation.
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Conditions governing reproduction
Copies of material from our archive collections may be supplied for research and private study in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Written permission must be obtained from the chair of the archive committee and the archivist to reproduce or publish any material held in our archive.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearance from the copyright holder.
We reserve the right to make a charge for the publication of material obtained from our archive.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
The collection catalogue is published online. A database containing abstracts of some of the correspondence (series P19-D) also exists but is not available online.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Other material related to Susan Isaacs' activities within the British Psychoanalytical Society can be found in the Society's records (ref. S); these include papers related to the Controversial Discussions (refs. S-A-03-C-02, S-B-01 & S-D-02).
Elsewhere, the Institute of Education (University of London) holds papers of Susan Isaacs (ref. DC/SI) and her husband Nathan Isaacs (ref. DC/NI), as well as further related material in the papers of Dorothy Gardner (ref. DC/DG) and in records of the Department of Child Development at the Institute of Education (ref. IE). Papers of Susan Isaacs are also held in the British and Foreign School Society Archives at Brunel University. In addition, the Wellcome Library includes papers related to Susan Isaacs in the John Bowlby collection (ref. PP/BOW) and the Melanie Klein collection (ref. PP/KLE). The Klein papers include material related to the Controversial Discussions.
Publication note
No known publications based on this material.
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
- Latin