S.
BRITISH PSYCHO‑ANALYTICAL SOCIETY
20 June 1927 London W1
Dear Professor,
Many thanks for your recent letter. I should like to return to one sentence in it of extreme importance, namely, where you say that you find Melanie Klein's views about the super‑ego quite incompatible with your own. I would seem to be suffering from a scotoma, for I do not perceive this at all. The only difference I was aware of is that she dates both the Oedipus conflict and the genesis of the super‑ego a year or two earlier than you have. As one of your chief discoveries has been the fact that young children are much more mature than had been generally supposed, both sexually and morally, I had regarded the conclusions reached from Frau Klein's experience as being simply a direct continuation of your own tendencies. May I therefore ask you to help me clear up the point? You know that I do not without reason give you trouble, especially during holiday time, but in this case I feel justified in asking for a letter on the point. My position, as you know, gives me considerable influence and I am anxious that none of this should be used in any mistaken or erroneous way.
About your warning concerning polemics, I am glad to say it was in no way necessary. What I wrote to you was purely private and personal and had no connection with any sort of public arguments.
Ferenczi's visit has been a great success here, though I am not so sure about the success of his American visit. It becomes clearer that his value lies essentially in the inspiration of his personality rather than in his intellectual judgements, for the latter are sometimes too strongly influenced by his phantasy. It was a very great pleasure having him here and I need hardly say that we are on the most excellent possible terms.
By now you will have started your well‑deserved holiday and I hope you will thoroughly enjoy it. I shall make every effort to come to Semmering after the Congress.
With all my kindest regards, Yours always, Ernest Jones
