ABSTRACT
In 1942 Melanie Klein introduced the term 'paranoid-schizoid' to emphasize the co-existence of splitting and persecutory anxiety. To conceptualize her many observations and her views of the early development she uses as a theoretical framework S. Freud's theory of the life and death instincts. The novelty of Klein's new formulation lies in her seeing their origin in the paranoid-schizoid position, and relating them to the most primitive relationship to the breast and to persecutory anxiety. The paranoid-schizoid position is a developmental step. When describing the pathology of the paranoid-schizoid position, Klein speaks of excessive anxiety and excessive use of defences. Following her paper, a number of psychoanalysts treating psychotic and borderline cases began to elucidate further the roots of pathology in the paranoid-schizoid position, seeking to define the factors which lead to excessive anxiety and studying in detail the nature of the defensive.
