Melanie Klein
The infant's first relationship is already a drama of love, hate, and terror.
Biography
Austrian-British psychoanalyst who pioneered child analysis. Argued infants have a rich, turbulent inner world from the beginning. Her claims were controversial but her clinical observations have proven remarkably durable.
Key Ideas
Splitting: dividing experience into 'all good' and 'all bad' because ambivalence is too complex to tolerate.Projective identification: placing unwanted parts of the self into another—not just defense but communication.Paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions: two modes—split/persecutory vs. tolerating ambivalence.Envy: a primary impulse directed at the source of what is good—an attack on goodness itself.
Clinical Relevance
Splitting is visible in clients who idealize then suddenly devalue—the 'perfect' partner becomes 'terrible' overnight. Projective identification explains countertransference: sudden irritation in session may be the client's disowned affect being communicated. The depressive position isn't depression but a developmental achievement: tolerating that someone you love can also disappoint you. Many clients oscillate between idealization and devaluation; the goal is more integrated relating.