She was born in Brody in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria[1] to Jakob Nathanson and Sara Wilenz and later grew up in Odesa, where her mother came from (both cities are located in modern-day Ukraine).

They are enumerated below in the consecutive order of their births: Amalia was considered by her grandchildren to be an intelligent, strong-willed, quick-tempered but egotistical personality.

[5] Ernest Jones saw her as lively and humorous, with a strong attachment to her eldest son whom she called "mein goldener Sigi".

[6] Just as Amalia idolised her eldest son, so there is evidence that the latter in turn idealised his mother, whose domineering hold over his life he never fully analysed.

[9] His tendency to split off and repudiate hostile elements in the relationship would be repeated with significant figures in his life such as his fiancée and Wilhelm Fliess.