Melanie Klein and Critical Social Theory: An Account of Politics, Art, and Reason Based on Her Psychoanalytic Theory

by C. Fred Alford

In this thoughtful and lucid book, C. Fred Alford shows how the psychoanalytic theory of Melanie Klein can be extended to groups and culture and thus can illuminate issues of social theory and moral philosophy of the sort considered by the Frankfurt School. He then applies this expanded theory to the politics of large groups, the appeal of works of art, and the psychological sources of reason. "Alford's ideas are interesting and well worked out. The book is good reading for the intelligent layman as well as for the Freudian psychoanalyst."-Elise W. Snyder, M.D., Yale Medical School "Regularly consigned to the backwaters of psychoanalysis, Melanie Klein has never received the recognition she deserves for the magnitude of her contributions to the mainstream of psychoanalytic thought. Alford's comprehensive study goes far in redressing this historical injustice, not only demonstrating that Klein's formulations provide the undergirding for many of the new directions in psychoanalysis, but also persuasively demonstrating the importance of her contributions to social and political theory."-Jerrold M. Post, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Political Psychology, and International Affairs, The George Washington University "Alford's is an attractive Panglossian formulation, argued with considerable panache. . . . Alford's book performs a valuable service."-Martin Stanton, Times Higher Education Supplement

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 1990

Reviews

[Jennifer Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for a reader interested in learning more about Melanie Klein's work and its legacies, emphasis on its bearing on art and politics. Nicely written, I could see this teaching well.