Melanie Klein was an Austrian child psychologist, born in Vienna in 1882 (Melanie Klein Hutchinson's Biography Database, 2011). Melanie “pioneered child psychoanalysis and play studies influenced by Sigmund Freud’s studies and theories” (Melanie Klein Hutchinson's Biography Database, 2011). Freud was Klein’s major influence and main reason for pursuing a career and love for psychoanalysis of young children. Melanie wanted to extensively study, expand Freud’s theories, and develop her own theories about the way children develop mentally.
In 1919 she published her first paper referring to her studies on the psychoanalysis of children (Melanie Klein Hutchinson's Biography Database, 2011). Klein would later publish several books and other papers
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or articles. She would also study adults based on her studies on children, but her main focus for most of her career was focused on the development of children. Major childhood analyses did not really start until after World War I. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis, ‘Little Hans’ case is one of the most famous examples of “early work with children” (Melanie Klein Trust, n.d.). Melanie Klein develops her own theories about childhood development based on Freud’s findings. Some of Melanie’s greatest accomplishments include her recognition of the significance of infant’s first relationships with their primary caregivers, and she also explains the “early mental processes that build up a person’s inner emotional world” (Melanie Klein Trust, 2015). These two accomplishments where huge during the time Melanie was a psychologist because a huge challenge arises when studying under the age of seven. Sigmund Freud’s youngest child and also a psychologist, Anna Freud, believed that, “children under the age of seven could not be helped directly, because before that age they could not co-operate with the adult technique and the children could not be expected to manage an adult psychoanalytic setting of the couch and free associations” (Melanie Klein Trust, 2015). Klein wanted to change this approach and way of thinking towards childhood studies, therefore she came up with her own approach that would approve effective. Melanie Klein’s technique was to let children express themselves through toys and play so that their minds and imaginations could be expressed (Melanie Klein Trust, 2015).
The logic behind this method was to get the children to be able to express themselves accurately by being comfortable and not pressured to do or say anything. When adults go to a psychologist most of the time they lay on a couch and talk about what they are feeling in order for the psychologists to understand what the patient is feeling. Young children cannot do this therefore, Klein established the play technique so children could be analyzed in the same way as adults (Melanie Klein Trust, 2015). This technique allowed “insight into early development” of young children making way for most of Klein’s later theories and work, which develops a whole new section of child psychoanalysis (Melanie Klein Trust, …show more content…
2015). Melanie Klein did not necessarily live a very happy life, but she did live a very successful life in the psychology world.
Her development of the play technique and her other studies involving the improvement of child development were some of the outstanding advantages of her studies as a psychologist. On the other side there is only one major disadvantage that took place before her major breakthroughs. That was her first study of a child was on her own son in which we can recall Feud doing the same, studying his own children. This was the only time Klein studied her own children therefore all of research is not invalid. Klein’s study of her play technique was very beneficial and well thought-out making the study overall a huge success and great study program for many child psychologists to use in the
future.
Mahler, M., Pine, F., & Bergman, A. (1975). The psychological birth of the human infant: symbiosis and individuation. New York: Basic Books.
Early Childhood is marked by a time in children’s lives when they develop “a confident self-image, more effective control over their emotions, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a clear sense of themselves as boy or girl” (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). According to Erik Erikson, early childhood is a period of “vigorous unfolding,” one where children have a sense of autonomy and a new sense of purposefulness or initiative (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). Play is a means for children to learn about themselves and they begin to adopt the moral and gender-role standards of the society in which they live (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011). A negative outcome of early childhood is the guilt children feel as a result of excessive punishment and criticism by the adults in their lives (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011)....
In terms of contribution to service for children in light of the Holocaust, the second law of thermodynamics and the indestructible nature of energy may be applied to the life and work of Anna Freud. Many accounts of Anna Freud’s childhood describe a pastoral childhood in the home of the founder of modern psychoanalysis. According to Young-Bruehl, (1994) Anna Freud was one of six children born to Sigmund and Martha Freud. Young-Bruehl, (1994) Anna was said to have had moderate difficulties as a child in her early school years, until she entered private school. (Edgcumbe, 2000)
Play is such an important part of the learning and growing, especially for children. Children engage in many different types of play, but the play I saw the most when I observe the children of my daycare is sociodramatic play. The book Understanding Dramatic Play by Judith Kase-Polisini defines sociodramatic play as “both players must tacitly or openly agree to act out the same drama” (Kase-Polisini 40). This shows that children play with each other and make their worlds together as equal creators. Children also work together without argument.
...ed with early childhood because he was interested in the age group; he was interested in the theories and seeing how children function. Sigmund Freud is one of the childhood leaders who were considered an exceptional theorist because his ideas about growth and development are thoroughly explained. His ideas were vague but articulate in a way. Sigmund Freud and his theories awaken the mind and they are taught in parenting and early childhood education courses today along with a couple other early childhood leaders. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory has definitely had an influence on the way some of us see children today.
Her childhood left her feeling lonely and hostile but she channeled it into something positive, which in turn became legendary. Despite the odds that were against her for simple being a woman, she made major contributions to psychology. She did not accept the norms of Sigmund Freud and challenged many of his notions. She paved the way for many psychologists, especially females or those who wanted to work in feminine psychology. Our reasoning for choosing Karen Horney was due to the fact that we are young women trying to break into the field of psychology as well. We were inspired by her bold effort to oppose Sigmund Freud despite his prestige position in the psychology community and the possible public ridicule that would surface against her. She is one of the very few women psychologists still mentioned today, which gained our respect immediately. However, we believed that she does not get the recognition she deserves, which is why we wanted to introduce her to the class. As we go through our psychology books, she is mentioned in very pages and the authors usually sum up her contributions in a paragraph or two. If we were able to write about Karen Horney and her legacy in psychology in over ten pages, why can’t they? It was a pleasure to research her contributions to psychology and we hope to have covered them in their
In this essay I am going to show my understanding of a child's early emotional development based on the psychoanalytical view of child development. I will show how emotional skills gained in the early years can be of a significant relevance to later life. I will show my understanding by illustrating it with the clinical material. Although I am focusing on the psychoanalytical approach to child development I believe that it is beneficial to present also some general background knowledge of child development.
...Fein, G. G. 1981. Pretend play in childhood: An integrative review. Child development, pp. 1095--1118.
Parten’s idea of child lead stages of play would support JNTCP ‘behaviour that is freely chosen, personally directed’ as when the child is ready to progress they make the personal decision. It could be said that Parten’s job would have influenced the way she views play. Being a psychologist may have led her to believe that child led play is more beneficial for the child’s development as they are able to figure it out for themselves, thus making the child more independent. A teacher idea of play however, would be the opposite to that of a child psychologist, as a teacher would believe that adult led play is more beneficial for a child, as it can have a planned outcome and consequently better the child’s social, emotional and physical development. The Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY, 2002) research clearly states that there becomes a point where children need to be supported by an adult in order to further their thinking. Vygotsky theory of proximal development would support the teacher’s idea of child lead play. Proximal development represents the gap between what a child can accomplish alone, and what they can do with the guidance of an adult. Similarly, Bruner’s theory of scaffolding mimics the same idea as Vygotsky, the adult giving a helping hand to the child’s play to better their learning and
This is a counselling method used to help youngsters communicate their inner experiences through using toys and play. Nondirective play therapy is a non-pathologizing technique founded on the belief that youngsters have the internal drive to attain wellness (Petruk, 2009). Play therapy is grounded on the theory that play is a youngster’s language, the toys considered the words a youngster uses to express or show their inner experiences and how they experience and perceive the world. Within a play session, and throughout the course of sessions, themes develop in the youngster’s play, giving the therapist insight into the child’s feelings, thoughts, experiences, and interpretations of their world (Petruk,
Sigmund Freud is one of the most influential people of the twentieth century for exploring the human mind more thoroughly than anyone before his time. His contributions have become embedded within the vocabulary of western society not only influencing psychology, as well as literature, art, and the parenting mechanisms of everyday people. He is the founding father of psychoanalysis which is often known as the talking cure, a method for treating mental illness and a theory which is intended to explain human behavior. He articulated and refined the concepts of the unconscious, infantile sexuality and repression, and he proposed a theory of the minds structure. Freud’s innovative treatment of human actions, dreams, and cultural artifacts has had
This theory suggests that play plays a vital role of treating children’s disorders, children are able to gain some sense of control and alleviate their negative emotions including anxieties, fears and traumas through playing (Heidman & Hewitt, 2010; Freud, 1961). From the psychoanalytic perspective, play has a cathartic effect for children as it can assist children to cope with adverse feelings (Wolfberg, 2009, p. 32). Therefore, play is regarded as a therapeutic method to deal with the emotional problems (Wolfberg, 2009, p. 32). Moreover, this theory is of the view that play is an avenue to connect children’s past, current and future inner life (Willians, 2009, p. 575). Sigmund Freud was the pioneer who made a considerable contribution to this theory and he called “play” as the “royal road” to the child’s conscious and unconscious world (Willians, 2009, p. 575). He believed that play allows a combination of fantasy with reality, children should spend time playing every day as it is very healthy and necessarily (Willians, 2009, p. 575). Children are able to resolve psychological dilemmas, soften their worries and develop their understanding of life experiences (Wolfberg, 2009, p. 32). Erikson had further developed this theory, he recognized that the particular events are critical to shape the nature of
The children are put through different learning experiences and tasks, for the professionals to evaluate and observe their different development stages. All this helps to understand the children’s adult characteristics for future life as every child’s play experiences are crucial to their adult life.
Freud believed that a child’s basic personality is formed by the age of six. However, Dollard and Miller differed on their reasons for thinking so. Instead of focusing on urges and fixations they asked “‘What makes early learning experiences so lasting in their effects?’ Their answer is that childhood is a time of urgent and tearing drives, powerful rewards and punishments and crushing frustrations” (Coon, 1989). Consequently, Dollard and Miller’s theory also considered four developmental situations to be of critical importance.
While working in her own medical practice she began to be interested in how children develop and learn. She loved children and wanted to help them in any way she could. She saw many children in her job and felt a connection with them. She wanted to help them learn. She believed that children learned the most and developed themselves from what they find in their own environments. This made her interested in seeing how a child’s brain works and learns. She studied psychology and philosophy in 1901. She became a professor of anthropology in Rome in 1904.