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In reading these unpublished texts by Melanie Klein, especially the first lecture from 1936, I said to myself: “Here is an excellent introduction to the work of Melanie Klein.” Indeed, we discover how she brings innovative solutions to the dilemma posed by the transformation of a situation where hate is stronger than love, as we observe in many psychopathological disorders, to a situation where love is stronger than hate. Melanie Klein approaches this question (left open by Freud theoretically and clinically) from the angle of technique, and applies it to the management of positive and negative transference in clinical practice.
Written in 1936, these lectures are not only interesting for the history of ideas in psychoanalysis, but also for its teaching. In fact, her innovative ideas are linked to Freud’s questions, particularly regarding the place of feelings of love and hate in relation to positive and negative transference. We may also note the clarity and freshness of her writing and style, which takes nothing away from the complexity of the subject.
Melanie Klein was engaged in a delicate balancing act here. On the one hand, she was concerned to convey innovative ideas that were liable to be disturbing; on the other, she wanted to follow in Freud’s footsteps. As our reading progresses, however, her references to Freudian concepts are more implicit than explicit. For psychoanalysts familiar with Kleinian thought, her affiliation to Freud no doubt seems obvious, especially for those who have been trained in the British Society. On the other hand, for colleagues less aware of Kleinian concepts, her affiliation with Freud is less easy to detect, especially since certain Freudian notions have not always acquired the place they deserve, even today, particularly in the field of affects.
That is why I would like to recall Freud’s dilemma over the relationship between love and hate, and the positive and negative transference, because his hesitations as to how to solve this