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Between practice and theory: Melanie Klein, Anna Freud and the development of child analysis
Author(s) -
Donaldson Gail
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6696(199604)32:2<160::aid-jhbs4>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - freudian slip , psyche , psychoanalytic theory , psychoanalysis , freudian theory , scope (computer science) , philosophy , epistemology , psychology , computer science , programming language
An examination of the early history of child analysis in the writings of Melanie Klein and Anna Freud reveals how two different and opposing approaches to child analysis arose at the same time. The two methods of child analysis are rooted in a differential emphasis on psychoanalytic theory and practice. The Kleinian method derives from the application of technique while the Anna Freudian method is driven by theory. Furthermore, by holding to the Freudian theory of child development Anna Freud was forced to limit the scope of child analysis, while Klein's application of Freudian practice has led to new discoveries about the development of the infant psyche.