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In her direct and lucid style of writing, Dr. Segal makes clear the great value to psychoanalytic therapy of Melanie Klein's four major theoretical contributions: her theory of phantasy, of projection and introjection, of the paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions in development, and of “internal objects” and the “inner world.” Perhaps, from a practical point of view, of equal importance is the stress laid on analyzing anxieties and not simply defenses.
Dr. Segal points out that “Melanie Klein saw aspects of material not seen before, and interpreting those aspects revealed further material which might otherwise not have been reached and which, in turn, dictated new interpretations seldom, if ever, used in the classical technique.” Dr. Segal later indicates that, in addition to the four theoretical contributions already mentioned, the difference from, or evolution beyond, the classical position includes a greater emphasis on transference, and a deeper penetration into the earliest phases of infancy development.
These claims are certainly justified, and I am inclined to make an even stronger claim than does Dr. Segal for the work of Klein as constituting a major turning point in the development of psychoanalysis. What I have in mind may be clarified by comparing the work of Melanie Klein with that of Heinz Hartmann.