Personality Structure and Human Interaction The Developing – MELANIE KLEIN AND FAIRBAIRN

Some fundamental differences emerge as between the views of Melanie Klein and Fairbaim, which we can now consider. It is important for the clarification of theoretical issues to discover where the root cause of these differences lies. Elizabeth Zetzel in her paper ‘Recent British Approaches to Problems of Early Mental Development’ (1955) writes : A theoretical framework which rests on such a definite and controversial premise as that of the death instinct has marked limitations. For this reason, if for no other, Mrs. Klein’s theory will not be acceptable to the majority of psycho-analysts in its present form (p. 542).