Introduction to the Work of Melanie Klein.

Abstract

This volume is based on a series of lectures given by Mrs. Segal at the London Institute of Psychoanalysis. The purpose of the text was to introduce psychiatric trainees to Melanie Klein's contributions. The author presents a brilliant and cogent analysis of Melanie Klein's remarkable contributions. The study of adult neurotics led Freud to discoveries about childhood and infancy. Melanie Klein, in her work with children, was led to the discovery that the Oedipal theme and superego occurred at a much earlier age than Freud had suspected. In attempting to illuminate the early roots of these complexes, Klein formulated two earlier positions: the paranoid-schizoid position and the depressive position. These two positions are phases of our psychological development and occur during the oral mode of communication. The paranoid-schizoid position, which occurs in the first four months of the infant's development, is characterized by his relationship to part objects (breasts) and