Klein and Winnicott's contributions to thinking about the psychic suffering of the separation processes

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss some issues which go through the suffering modes derived from the separation processes in the field of affective relationships. To this end, the concept of "depressive position" presented by Melanie Klein (1935) and creatively amplified by Winnicott (1954) is used as a guide. In order to elucidate the theoretical arguments, we present a brief clinical vignette of a patient who, at a certain moment in her life, suffers from the evils derived from a marital separation. In this type of situation, the adequate management of the analyst becomes necessary. By resorting to certain theoretical references, the analyst should make use of orientations in order to sustain the typical challenges of these suffering pictures.