fei75766_ch05_149-178.indd 156  02/06/20 11:22 AM
Part II    Psychodynamic Theories156
parts ofbothinstincts ontothebreast. Now, rather thanfearing itsowndeath instinct, 
theinfant fears thepersecutory breast. Buttheinfant alsohasarelationship withthe
ideal breast, which provides love,comfort, andgratification. Theinfant desires to
keeptheideal breast inside itself asaprotection against annihilation bypersecutors. 
Tocontrol thegood breast andtofightoffitspersecutors, theinfant adopts what 
Klein (1946) called theparanoid-schizoid position, awayoforganizing experiences 
thatincludes bothparanoid feelings ofbeing persecuted andasplitting ofinternal 
andexternal objects intothegood andthebad.
According toKlein, infants develop theparanoid-schizoid position during the
first3or4months oflife,during which timetheego’s perception oftheexternal 
world issubjective andfantastic rather thanobjective andreal.Thus, thepersecutory 
feelings areconsidered tobeparanoid; thatis,theyarenotbased onanyrealorimme -
diate danger from theoutside world. Thechild must keepthegood breast andthebad
breast separate, because toconfuse them would betoriskannihilating thegood breast 
andlosing itasasafeharbor. Intheyoung child’s schizoid world, rageanddestruc -
tivefeelings aredirected toward thebadbreast, while feelings ofloveandcomfort are
associated withthegood breast.
Infants, ofcourse, donotuselanguage toidentify thegood breast andthebad
breast. Rather, theyhaveabiological predisposition toattach apositive value tonour-
ishment andthelifeinstinct andtoassign anegative value tohunger andthedeath 
instinct. Thispreverbal splitting oftheworld intogood andbadserves asaprototype 
forthesubsequent development ofambivalent feelings toward asingle person. For
example, Klein (1946) compared theinfantile paranoid-schizoid position totransfer -
encefeelings thattherapy patients often develop toward theirtherapist.
Under pressure ofambivalence, conflict andguilt, thepatient often splits thefigure 
oftheanalyst, thentheanalyst mayatcertain moments beloved, atother moments 
hated. Ortheanalyst maybesplitinsuchawaythatheremains thegood (orbad)
figure while someone elsebecomes theopposite figure. (p.19)
Ambivalent feelings, ofcourse, arenotlimited totherapy situations. Most 
people havebothpositive andnegative feelings toward theirloved ones. Conscious 
ambivalence, however, doesnotcapture theessence oftheparanoid-schizoid posi-
tion.When adults adopt theparanoid-schizoid position, theydosoinaprimitive, 
unconscious fashion. AsOgden (1990) pointed out,theymayexperience themselves 
asapassive object rather thananactive subject. They arelikely tosay“He’s danger -
ous”instead ofsaying “Iamaware thatheisdangerous tome.”Other people may
project theirunconscious paranoid feelings ontoothers asameans ofavoiding their
owndestruction bythemalevolent breast. Stillothers mayproject theirunconscious 
positive feelings ontoanother person andseethatperson asbeing perfect while view-
ingthemselves asempty orworthless.
Depressive Position
Beginning atabout the5thor6thmonth, aninfant begins toviewexternal objects 
aswhole andtoseethatgood andbadcanexistinthesame person. Atthattime, 
theinfant develops amore realistic picture ofthemother andrecognizes thatsheis
anindependent person whocanbebothgood andbad.Also, theegoisbeginning toFinal PDF to printer