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In this book, Professor Weininger explores the unconscious phantasies which underlie and shape children's views of themselves and their relationships with others. It is written within the framework of psychoanalytic theory developed by Melanie Klein. The author makes a deliberate effort, not entirely successfully in my opinion, to clarify some key Kleinian concepts along the way.
In speaking of phantasies, he is referring to the child's inner world of assumptions, preoccupations, and expectations, which deeply affects and is affected by the impingement of external reality.
He provides many detailed descriptions of work with children in a variety of ordinary settings, such as play-groups and schools, as well as in more specialised play therapy and special-school settings. His descriptions are detailed and vivid. They convincingly convey the essence of a therapeutic interaction, ie the detailed observation not only of the child's use of the situation in terms of feelings and behaviour, but also the emotional response of the adult to what is being communicated.
The book will be useful to professionals working with children who have not themselves had training in therapeutic work from a psychoanalytical perspective. His clinical examples demonstrate the communicative richness of children's play. In