ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the relevance of Melanie Klein's analytic theory to our experiences as parents, teachers and clinicians. It provides the basic Kleinian theory of psychic growth through the paranoid-schizoid, depressive and Oedipal 'positions'. The book presents Klein's basic concepts to a variety of practical and professional problems. It outlines the ways in which Klein's insights can illuminate our understanding of a whole spectrum of children's experience, ranging from the inevitable and productive crises of normal development to its most profound disturbances. The book discusses general observations of children's behaviour to theoretical and specifically professional—that is, pedagogical or clinical—concerns. Tim's anxiety about the phantasized damage and subsequent miscarriage created a potentially serious threat to the relationship between son and mother.
