Klein, Melanie

The British psychoanalyst Melanie Klein (1882–1960), née Reizes, was born in Vienna, Austria, into a Jewish middle-class family. Klein was a bright, ambitious child and did well in grammar school, but financial problems prevented the family from supporting her desire to train in medicine; instead, circumstances forced her to marry at the age of 21. Within a few years, she had three children and moved to Budapest with her husband; however, a life of domesticity did not suit the independent and strong-willed Klein, and she became depressed. Seeking treatment with the Freudian analyst Sandor Ferenczi, Klein discovered a new and exciting intellectual pursuit in psychoanalysis. Ferenczi encouraged her to train as an analyst and to venture into the as yet unexplored field of child analysis. ...

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