preview

Klein's Influence On Children And Young Essay

Better Essays
Open Document

In terms of biological drives, Klein believed drives were aimed toward objects, such as an infant seeking milk from a mother’s breast. The object’s in an infant’s world, especially during the first few months of life are essentially good or bad. Thus, if the child receives milk, the breast is good, if not, it is bad. Klein posits that the objects within one’s world as an infant consist of gratification and hostility. In addition to drives, infants are focused on the internal object, which is more of a fantasy than an object based in reality, as the infant struggles to know the difference at this point in life. These fantasies are representations of bodily instincts and urges that the infant can feel physically and mentally. Thus in the case of the “bad breast”, the infant is frustrated and feels discomfort due to not receiving the milk, and this is interpreted by the infant as if he or she was being attacked by a hostile force. As the child develops, he or she begins to understand the good and bad breast are one in …show more content…

She concludes that the superego is present at birth and the Oedipal complex occurs during the first year of life as well. Klein theorized that the ego and superego continue based on functions the caregiver performed for the child. She notes that the “good breast” is the main point allowing the ego to develop, similar to the “good enough mother” posed by Winnicott. Klein notes that life and death instinct are deflected onto an external object which is often the breast, either satisfying or frustrating. Thus the breast is the object allowing the child to begin the development of the ego. The superego stems from an infant’s views of his or her parents, thus they are not accurate representations but based on the infant’s feelings and fantasies that lead to superego

Get Access