ABSTRACT
A central aspect of the Kleinian theory concerns a particular mental state described as the paranoid-schizoid situation or position,1 which is characterized by a specific form of anxiety and specific defensive organizations. Segal (1964b: 127) defines it as ‘the earliest phase of development [. . .] characterized by the relation to part objects, the prevalence of splitting in the ego and in the object and paranoid anxiety’. Meltzer points out, too, that it is considered to be a ‘particular type of mental conflict that commences, let us say, around the third month of life and continues throughout the life of the individual’ (1979a: 131, translated). Our own analysis is consistent with Meltzer’s view, and identifies the dynamics described by the Kleinian school in terms of primary mental operations.
