The Mythology Surrounding Freud and Klein

Implications for Psychoanalysis

By (author) Charlotte Schwartz

Publication date:

08 November 2017

Length of book:

158 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

236x163mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781498568487

In The Mythology Surrounding Freud and Klein, Charlotte Schwartz challenges the current misperceptions and theoretical ideas surrounding Sigmund Freud and Melanie Klein through a systematic review of their respective theoretical work and clinical studies. Specifically, Schwartz argues against the current perception that Klein was the originator of object relations theory and that Freud’s metapsychology was a drive-centered theory with little regard for the object and object relations. Schwartz further examines the development of drive and object relations through a review of key theorists who influenced psychoanalytic training and treatment methodology in this area, including Ferenczi, Abraham, Jones, Fairbairn, Guntrip, and Winnicott. This book is recommended for scholars of psychology and history.

Chapter 1: Freud: The Progenitor of Object Relations Theory
Chapter 2: Freud’s Case Studies: The Hidden Object
Chapter 3: Klein’s Object and Drive Theories: A Perpetuated Myth
Chapter 4: Klein’s Case Studies
Chapter 5: The Triumvirate: Ferenczi, Abraham, and Jones
Chapter 6: Fairbairn: The Reclusive Scot and his Object Theories
Chapter 7: Guntrip: A New Movement
Chapter 8: D. W. Winnicott: The Herald
Chapter 9: Freud-Klein Controversies 1941–1945

Charlotte Schwartz's Mythologies Surrounding Freud and Klein: Implications for Psychoanalysis is both important and timely. It sets out, boldly and convincingly, to reverse conventional psychoanalytic history, positing Freud as much more engaged with object relations than is usually thought, and Melanie Klein as more of a drive theorist than is generally conceded. Brilliantly argued with uncommon good sense, the book probes in detail the theories and case studies of Freud and Klein before going on to examine the positions of later figures in the context of its main arguments. Schwartz's lifetime dedication to psychoanalytic theory and practice is evident on every page. Her book is a model of clarity, a joy to read, and a passionate call for a re-assessment of the truisms that perpetuate ignorance.