Who the Hell is Melanie Klein?: And what are her theories on psychology all about?

For students, teachers and curious minds, our carefully structured jargon-free series helps you really get to grips with brilliant intellectuals and their inherently complex theories. Written in an accessible and engaging way, each book takes you through the life and influences of these great thinkers, then takes a deep dive into three of their key theories in plain English.Smart thinking made easy!

Who the Hell is Melanie Klein? looks at one of the most controversial, powerful and influential figures within the heart of psychoanalysis. The first two chapters explore Klein the woman and intellectual, taking the reader through her life story and the ideas that influenced her thinking - many of which she was to dramatically overturn, driving a wedge into the heart of analytic thinking. Her three most important concepts - Splitting, Projective Identification and the Depressive Position - are explored in a highly accessible way, to enable a full understanding of their meaning and implications. A final chapter on her famous case study of a child reveals her ideas in action.

Reviews

Psychology is my favourite subject, but so far at university we have focused a lot on old white men with beards! So, reading this book provided me with a little of the diversity that I was looking for in a subject I really enjoy learning about. As someone who particularly enjoys child psychology, this was an incredibly enjoyable read which included some other thinkers and their influences on her work. It was informative without being heavy on flowery psychological terms, which meant I didn’t have to be in a studious state of mind to read and enjoy it, yet I still managed to learn a great deal!
Claire Allison, Masters student in Psychology & Linguistics at Edinburgh University.Instagram: clairely_psyched