ABSTRACT
Chronic resentment can only be overcome when a willingness to forgive emerges and the efforts of reparation outweigh the wishes for revenge – a movement whose origins Melanie Klein assumed to be in the early relationship to the parents. In contrast to resentment, which is frequently not well hidden, shame is a dismal and mortifying affective state. Resentment can be a defence against feelings of shame and, vice versa, shame can give rise to resentment and wishes for revenge. Developmental aspects of the psychology of shame were taken up variously, their significance in the development of object relations was picked up, as well as investigating their function in unconscious phantasy systems. In contrast to ego- and self-psychology, shame as an organised affective state became the subject of closer inspection relatively late in the development of Kleinian thinking.
