Subjectivity, infantile oedipus, and symbolization in Melanie Klein and Jacques Lacan

Melanie Klein and Jacques Lacan have profoundly influenced the theory and practice of psychoanalysis, particularly outside the United States. This paper explores the similarities and differences between their theories, personalities, and influence on the European analytic community in the aftermath of World War II. Parallels are drawn between the paranoid-schizoid position and the imaginary order, as well as between the depressive position and the symbolic order.