Selected Melanie Klein

I was disappointed by Klein but not this collection. Her conceptual apparatus seems rather underdeveloped for the complex phenomena to be taken under it. It is still worth a read and may be source of inspiration. So I dont think I will read Klein further, but this collection gave me quite sufficient understanding of her thought and that for a good price. The only deficiency is the lacking of a more in depth discussion of the death instict and why Klein introduces it. I assume it can be found in the latter of her collected writings. I strongly recommend the collection since it has not much alternative...

Since buying the complete Collected Works of Melanie Klein would be rather expensive (and not as readily available as this book), this is the next best thing. This one offers all of the very essential Kleinian works, including the Early Stages of the Oedipus Conflict (in which she very daringly challenges Freud's views on the topic, and two papers on manic-depression, which are classics and have still not been equaled even to this day. This book is a great choice for anyone interested in psychology, regardless of their orientation or affiliation.

The book itself represents a valuable compilation of some of Klein's seminal ideas; however, I found myself angered by her irresponsible and intellectually dishonest use of her own children as supposed case examples. I also regard the death drive concept shared by her and Freud as the ether of depth-psychological thought.