TY - JOUR T1 - The conflict and process theory of Melanie Klein. A1 - Kavaler-Adler,S, PY - 1993/9/1/pubmed PY - 1993/9/1/medline PY - 1993/9/1/entrez SP - 187 EP - 204 JF - American journal of psychoanalysis JO - Am J Psychoanal VL - 53 IS - 3 N2 - This article depicts the theory of Melanie Klein in both its conflict and process dimensions. In addition, it outlines Klein's strategic place in psychoanalytic history and in psychoanalytic theory formation. Her major contributions are seen in light of their clinical imperatives, and aspects of her metapsychology that seem negligible are differentiated from these clinical imperatives. Klein's role as a dialectical fulcrum between drive and object relations theories is explicated. Within the conflict theory, drive derivatives of sex and aggression are reformulated as object-related passions of love and hate. The process dimensions of Klein's theory are outlined in terms of dialectical increments of depressive position process as it alternates with regressive paranoid-schizoid-position mental phenomenology. The mourning process as a developmental process is particularly high-lighted in terms of self-integrative progression within the working through of the depressive position. SN - 0002-9548 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/8214205/The_conflict_and_process_theory_of_Melanie_Klein_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -