Melanie Klein's pioneering work in the psychoanalysis of the child, made possible by the 'play technique' she developed for working with very young children, has yielded insights into the earliest and most basic psychic states. Her writings on topics such as mourning, guilt, anxiety, paranoia, and schizophrenia have been influential in theoretical and practical psychology. In this book, the first short introduction to a very important body of work, Hanna Segal- herself an eminent psychoanalyst and a former colleague of Klein's- traces the development of Klein's ideas within the historical context of the early years of psychoanalysis, showing where she followed and where she departed from Freud, and portrays her as a woman of great insight and originality. Dr. Segal also discusses Kleinian psychology today and its application to such areas as ethics, aesthetics, and group therapy. -- from Book Jacket.