213: Introduction to Melanie Klein and the Contemporary Kleinians
Instructors
Lynne Zeavin, Psy.D.
Nicole Regent, M.D.
December 8, 2025 – March 23, 2026
Mondays, 8:35 – 10:00 pm
No class: 12/22, 12/29, 1/19, 2/16
If you would like to attend class remotely, please click here
Co-requisites
Candidates must have or have had at least two cases in supervised psychoanalysis to be eligible for upper level courses.
Course Description
This course aims to introduce the candidates to the work of Melanie Klein. Reading both her writing and secondary sources, the class will trace the development of Klein’s ideas, her roots in Freud, and how her work with children led her to develop a novel theory about the role of the object in psychic structure and the internal world, and the archaic underpinnings of adult mental functioning. Klein’s model of object relations has been elaborated upon and expanded by the work of contemporary Kleinians, and technical issues such as working in the here and now, the use of the countertransference, and projective identification will be discussed. The historical context in which Klein developed her ideas and her links to, and departures from, the Freudian model of her time will be kept in mind, as well as a consideration of both areas of controversy or criticism, as well as an understanding of her legacy in contemporary psychoanalytic thinking. Second and Third year students combined in 2024/2025 academic year.
Questions guiding each reading will be distributed prior to each week’s session.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. discuss and analyze the essential characteristics of Melanie Klein’s psychoanalytic model and to demonstrate an understanding of how these ideas could be applied to clinical situations.
2. compare the approach of Klein and the contemporary Kleinians to the ego psychological model.
Evaluation Method
Each student’s participation in class discussion and his or her demonstration of understanding of the course objectives and reading material is assessed in a written evaluation by the instructor(s).
These articles are protected under relevant copyright regulations. They are available in the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute Electronic Reserve for your convenience, and for your personal use.
READINGS FOR 2025-2026 CLASS ARE CONFIRMED.
If you would like to attend class remotely, please click here
I. The Life of the Infant
CLASS 1: December 8, 2025
REQUIRED READINGS
Klein, M. (1975). Some Theoretical Conclusions Regarding the Emotional Life of the Infant In: Envy and Gratitude and other works: The Writings of Melanie Klein, Vol. III, 61-93. New York: Delacorte.
Schafer, R. (1994). The Contemporary Kleinians of London. Psychoanal Q., 63:409-432.
II. Early Psychic Structure and Basic Defenses
CLASS 2: December 15, 2025
REQUIRED READINGS
Klein, M. (1946). Notes on some Schizoid Mechanisms. In Envy and Gratitude and Other Works, 1946-1963, The Free Press, pp. 1-24.
SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS
Joseph, B. (1966). Persecutory Anxiety in a Four–year–old Boy. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 47:184-188.
III. The Positions
CLASS 3: January 5, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Steiner, J. (1987). The Interplay Between Pathological Organizations and the Paranoid-Schizoid and Depressive Positions. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 68:69-80.
Mawson, C. (2018). The projective process and the two positions today. In K. Long & P. Garvey (Eds.), The Klein Tradition: Lines of Development—-Evolution of Theory and Practice over the Decades (1st ed.). Routledge. (pp. 185-197)
IV. Paranoid Schizoid Position and Associated Anxieties
CLASS 4: January 12, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Joseph, B. (1978). Different Types of Anxiety and their Handling in the Analytic Situation. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 59:223-228.
O’Shaughnessy, E. (1964). The Absent Object. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 1:34-43.
V. Symbol Formation and Phantasy
CLASS 5: January 26, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Spillius, E. B. (2001). Freud and Klein on the Concept of Phantasy. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 82:361-373.
Isaacs, S. (1948). The Nature and Function of Phantasy. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 29:73-97.
VI. Projective and Introjective Identification
CLASS 6: February 2, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Spillius, E. (1992). Clinical Experiences of Projective Identification. New Lib. of Psycho-Anal 14: 59-73.
Sodré, I. (2004). Who’s who? Notes on pathological identifications. In E. Hargreaves and A. Varchevker (Eds.), In Pursuit of Psychic Change (1st ed., pp.). London: Routledge.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Feldman, M. (1997). Projective identification: The analyst’s involvement. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 78: 227-241.
VII. The Depressive Position
CLASS 7: February 9, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Klein, M. (1940). Mourning and its Relation to Manic-Depressive States. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 21:125-153.
VIII. The Manic Defense
CLASS 8: February 23, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Segal, H. (1988). Manic Reparation. In: The Work of Hanna Segal. London: Karnac, pp. 82-91.
Sodre, I. (2015). Non-Vixit. In: Imaginary Existences, New York: Routledge, pp. 24-40.
IX. The Oedipus Complex, Depressive Anxieties, and the Capacity to Think
CLASS 9: March 2, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Spoto, G.F. (1999). Getting Rid of Oedipus: the Impossible Solution. Brit. J. Psychother. 15(4): 501-513.
Sodré, I. (1994). Obsessional Certainty Versus Obsessional Doubt: From Two to Three. Psychoanal. Inq., 14:379-392.
X. Envy
CLASS 10: March 9, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Klein, M. (1957) “Envy and Gratitude” in Envy and Gratitude and Other Works, 1946-1963, The Free Press, pp. 176-204
XI. Envy and Gratitude Continued
CLASS 11: March 16, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Joseph, B. (1986). Envy in Everyday Life. Psychoanal. Psychother., 2:13-22.
O’Shaughnessy, E. (2008). On Gratitude. In P. Roth and A. Lemma (Eds.), Envy and Gratitude Revisited (pp. 79-91). London: IPA Books.
O’Shaughnessy, E. (2018). Reparation: Waiting for a Concept. In P. Garvey and K. Long (Eds.), The Klein Tradition (1st ed., pp. 199-203). London: Routledge.
XII. Kleinian Technique: Sorting the Proper Level
CLASS 12: March 23, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Roth, P. (2001). Mapping The Landscape: Levels of Transference Interpretation. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 82(3):533-543.
Pick, I.B. (1988). Working Through in the Counter-transference. In Melanie Klein Today, vol 2: Mainly Practice.
XIII. Kleinian Technique: At Work in the Session
CLASS 13: March 30, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Feldman, M. (1993). The Dynamics of Reassurance. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 74:275-285.
Joseph, B. (1985). Transference: The Total Situation. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 66:447-454.
O’Shaughnessy, E. (1992). Enclaves and Excursions. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 73: 603-611.