The dynamic interplay of mourning and forgiveness in the early development of the self and psychic structure

Mourning has received considerable attention in the psychoanalytic literature. Beginning with Freud's 1917 investigation, the central role of mourning in psychical development via identification has been articulated and subsequently elaborated upon by various authors (e.g., Klein, 1940; Schafer, 2005). Forgiveness, on the other hand, has until recently received considerably less attention, perhaps because of the strong religious and moral connotations often associated with it (Lansky, 2009a). Contemporary writers exploring the psychoanalytic implications of mourning and forgiveness, however, have suggested the importance of both in normal psychical development. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated model of mourning and forgiveness and explore its potential role in nascent infant development.