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Dr Lynne Zeavin
Melanie Klein was a pioneering psychoanalyst whose work profoundly shaped our understanding of early childhood development, emotions, and unconscious processes. One of her most influential concepts is envy, which she explored in depth to explain what she described as an innate destructive tendency in the mind, which she observed in both children and adults.This short course will introduce Klein’s theory of envy and its implications for psychoanalytic work.
Envy is never about material things, but rather about capacities and is often unconscious. In Klein’s psychoanalytic framework, envy is defined as a feeling that arises when a person perceives another as possessing something desirable—love, beauty, or happiness—and experiences pain or resentment because of their own perceived lack. Unlike jealousy, which involves the fear of losing something to someone else, envy is directed at the person who has what one desires. In this course, we will explore the theory of envy as written by Melanie Klein in Envy and Gratitude along with the contemporary Kleinian elaborations of this concept, particularly as it manifests in the therapeutic situation. Along with our explorations of envy, we will also look at the concept of gratitude, which Klein believed was crucial to overcoming an envious disposition, and crucial for healthy development.
4 Saturdays:
Jan 18, 25, Feb 1, 8- 2026
10-1130am, EST
Dr Lynne Zeavin
Melanie Klein was a pioneering psychoanalyst whose work profoundly shaped our understanding of early childhood development, emotions, and unconscious processes. One of her most influential concepts is envy, which she explored in depth to explain what she described as an innate destructive tendency in the mind, which she observed in both children and adults.This short course will introduce Klein’s theory of envy and its implications for psychoanalytic work.
Envy is never about material things, but rather about capacities and is often unconscious. In Klein’s psychoanalytic framework, envy is defined as a feeling that arises when a person perceives another as possessing something desirable—love, beauty, or happiness—and experiences pain or resentment because of their own perceived lack. Unlike jealousy, which involves the fear of losing something to someone else, envy is directed at the person who has what one desires. In this course, we will explore the theory of envy as written by Melanie Klein in Envy and Gratitude along with the contemporary Kleinian elaborations of this concept, particularly as it manifests in the therapeutic situation. Along with our explorations of envy, we will also look at the concept of gratitude, which Klein believed was crucial to overcoming an envious disposition, and crucial for healthy development.
4 Saturdays:
Jan 18, 25, Feb 1, 8- 2026
10-1130am, EST