ABSTRACT
This chapter explains something of the theoretical basis of the assumptions. They derive from Sigmund Freud's work and its development by Melanie Klein. One of Freud's greatest contributions lay in his refutation of the dichotomy of body and mind which had dominated so much of contemporary thought. Freud's account of the child's activities is detailed. He notes the context in which they occurred, the emotions and the half-formed words which accompanied them, the background of the child's current life, especially his relationship with his mother and his reactions to her absences and returns. What is especially striking is Freud's respect for the child's play activity. This forms the basis of his search for an understanding of the child. He does not regard playing simply as a pastime or as a developmental achievement. Freud also came to pay increasing attention to the strong feelings which patients developed towards him.
