Winnicott, D.W. - Selected Essays

7/31/2019 Winnicott, D.W. - Selected Essays

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/winnicott-dw-selected-essays 1/28

TRIC

Y I

C.

P u b l

i c D o m a i n , G o o g l e - d i g i t i z e d

/ h t t p : / / w w w . h

a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e s s_

u s e # p d - g o o g l e



eUnited tatesofAmerica, 1958

York

alog

P u b l i c D o m a i n , G o o g l e - d i g i t i z e d

/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





M NT X

ndA n iety19313

ionalDisorder1936 33

antsin a

sultations194270

esofChildhood194485

et ofMother s

st Depression1948 91

iatedw ithInsec urity195297

einPaediatrics:

1

ome1955118

35129

lDevelopment 1945145< /

hiatry1948 157

rthTrauma,and

tertransferenc e1947194 € ¢

elationto motional

hildCare1952219

ctsandTransitional

tiontothe

Regression1954255>/

ositioninNormal

t 1954262 € ¢

alandClinical

ithinthe

-Up1954278 V


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





esofTransferenc e

enalPreoc cupation

alTendenc y

dChildhoodNeurosis


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





ference1

amineoneaspect ofthewholesubject ofambi-

hecountertransference.Ibelievethat thetaskof

archanalyst)whoundertakestheanalysisof a

htedbythisphenomenon,andthat analysisof

ossibleunlesstheanalyst' sownhateise tremelywell

.Thisistantamount tosayingthat ananalyst needs

t it alsoassertsthat theanalysisofapsychoticis

that ofaneurotic,andinherentlyso.

ytictreatment,themanagement ofapsychoticis

omtimetotimeI havemadeacutelycriticalremarks

npsychiatry,withthetooeasyelectricshocksand

s.(Winnicott,1947,1949.)Becauseofthesecriti-

ssedIwouldliketo beforemost inrecognitionofthe

ent inthetaskofthe psychiatrist,andofthemental

patientsmust alwaysbeaheavyemotionalburden

.Onecan forgivethoseengagedinthisworkif they

ot mean,however,that wehaveto accept whatever

dneuro-surgeonsassoundaccordingtoprinciples

followsisabout psycho-analysis,it reallyhas

ventoonewhoseworkdoes not inanywaytake

f relationshiptopatients.

atrist thepsycho-analyst must not onlystudyfor

the emotionaldevelopment oftheillindividual,

atureoftheemotionalburdenwhichthepsychiatrist

otheB ritishPsycho-A nalytic al oc ietyon5th ebruary , 1947.

o l . X X X , 1 9 4 9 .


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





OU NT R TR A N F E R N C

What weasanalystscallthe countertransference

the psychiatrist too.H owevermuchheloveshis

atingthemandfearingthem,andthe betterhe

teandfearbethe motivesdeterminingwhat hedoes

rtransferencephenomenathus:

ertransferencefeelings,andset relationshipsand

derrepressionintheanalyst.Thecomment on

edsmoreanalysis,andwebelievethisis lessof

nalyststhanamongpsychotherapistsingeneral.

endenciesbelongingtoananalyst' spersonale -

velopment whichprovidethepositivesetting

akehis workdifferent inqualityfromthat of

guish thetrulyobjectivecountertransference,or

yst' sloveandhatein reactiontotheactual

rofthepatient,basedonobjectiveobservation.

t istoanalysepsychoticsorantisocialshemust be

wareofthecountertransferencethat hecansort

ereactionstothe patient.Thesewillincludehate.

omenawillat timesbethe important thingsinthe

atient canonlyappreciateinthe analyst what he

g.Inthe matterofmotive:theobsessionalwilltend

yst asdoinghisworkin afutileobsessionalway.

hoisincapableofbeingdepressed,e cept inasevere

emotionaldevelopment thedepressiveposition

n,whocannot feelguilt inadeepway,or asenseof

sunabletoseethe analyst' sworkasan attempt

tomakereparationinrespect ofhisown(the

s.A neuroticpatient tendstoseethe analyst asambiva-

ndtoe pect theanalyst toshowasplittingof love

wheninluck,getsthe love,becausesomeoneelseis

te.Wouldit not followthat ifapsychoticisin a coin-

ffeelinghe e periencesadeepconvictionthat the

eofthe samecrudeanddangerousstateofcoin-

hip houldtheanalyst showlove,hewillsurelyat

patient.

ndhateissomethingthat characteristicallyrecurs


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

s,givingriseto problemsofmanagement which

beyondhisresources.Thiscoincidenceofloveand

ngissomethingdistinct fromtheaggressivecom-

imitiveloveimpulse,andimpliesthat inthe history

nenvironmentalfailureat thetimeofthefirst object-

es.

avecrudefeelingsimputedtohimhe isbest fore-

forhemust toleratebeingplacedinthat position.

enyhatethat reallye istsinhimself . Hatethat is

tinghasto besortedout andkept instorageand

rpretation.

obetheanalystsof psychoticpatientswemust

yprimitivethingsin ourselves,andthisisbut

act that theanswertomanyobscureproblemsof

esinfurther analysisoftheanalyst.(Psycho-analy-

aystosomee tent anattempt onthepart ofan

fhis ownanalysisfurtherthanthepoint towhich

im.)

st ofanypatient istomaintainobjectivityinregard

gs,andaspecialcaseofthis istheanalyst' sneedto

t objectively.

ationsinourordinaryanalyticworkin whichthe

ed patient ofmine, averybadobsessional, was

r someyears.Ifelt badabout thisuntiltheanalysis

atient becamelovable,andthenIrealizedthat his

nactivesymptom,unconsciouslydetermined.It

yforme (muchlateron)whenIcouldactuallytell

endshadfelt repelledbyhim, but that hehad

mknow.Thiswasalsoanimportant dayforhim,

hisadjustment toreality.

analyst hasnodifficultywiththemanagement

remainslatent.Themainthing,ofcourse,is that

ehas becomefreefromvast reservoirsofuncon-

epast andtoinnerconflicts.Thereareother

une pressedandevenunfelt assuch:

b,the wayIfeelI willbest dealwithmyown

essmyselfinaconstructiveway.

ngtogain aplaceinsocietybypsycho-

hroughidentificationwiththepatient,whois


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





OU NT R TR A N F E R N CB

seestill greaterrewardssomewayahead,

ment

Ihavewaysofe pressinghate. Hateise pressed

e n d of t h e h o ur .

enthereisno difficultywhatever,andwhen

.In manyanalysesthesethingscanbetaken

rescarcelymentioned,andtheanalyticworkis

pretationofthepatient' semerginguncon-

nalyst takesovertheroleof oneorotherofthe

nt' schildhood.H ecashesinonthe successof

orkwhenthepatient wasaninfant.

edescriptionofordinarypsycho-analyticwork,

dwithpatientswhosesymptomshaveaneurotic

s,however,quiteadifferent typeanddegreeof

yst,andit ispreciselythisdifferent strainthat Iam

fewdaysIfoundI wasdoingbadwork.Imade

honeofmypatients.The difficultywasinmyself

but chieflyassociatedwithaclima that Ihad

ne particularpsychotic(research)patient.The

Ihadwhat issometimescalleda healing dream.

at duringmyanalysisandin theyearssincethe

hadalongseries ofthesehealingdreamswhich,

pleasant,haveeachoneofthemmarkedmy

motionaldevelopment.)

nIwasawareof themeaningofthedreamasI

e.Thedreamhad twophases.Inthefirst Iwasin

treandlookingdownonthepeoplealongwaybelow inthe

etyasifI might losealimb.Thiswas associatedwith

hetopofthe iffelTowerthat ifIput myhandover

nto thegroundbelow.Thiswouldbeordinary

dreamI wasawarethat thepeopleinthestalls

wasnowrelatedthroughthemtowhat wasgoing

kindofan ietynowdeveloped.What Iknewwasthat

odyat all.Thiswasnot acastrationdream.It was

part ofthebody.

fhavingunderstoodat averydeeplevelwhat was

ulartime.Thefirst part ofthedreamrepresented

at might developinrespect ofunconsciousfantasies


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

ouldbe indangeroflosingmy handormyfingers

comeinterestedinthem.With thiskindofan ietyI

omparativelytolerable.

am,however,referredtomyrelationtothe

tient wasrequiringofmethat Ishouldhaveno rela-

evenanimaginativeone there wasnobodythat

if shee istedat allshecouldonlyfeel herselftobe

oherbodyproducedparanoidan ieties,becauseto

wastopersecuteher.What sheneededofmewas

mindspeakingtohermind.A t theculminationof

ngbeforethedreamI hadbecomeirritatedand

sneedingofmewas littlebetterthanhair-splitting.

effect andit tookmanyweeksfortheanalysisto

eessentialthing,however,wasthat Ishouldunder-

ndthiswasrepresentedin thedreambytheabsenceof

whenItriedto get intorelationtothe playthat the

watching.Thisright sideofmybodywasthe sidere-

ent andwasthereforeaffectedbyherneed todeny

ativerelationshipofourbodies.Thisdenialwas

otictypeofan iety,muchlesstolerablethanordin-

Whateverotherinterpretationsmight bemadeinre-

ult ofmyhavingdreamedit and rememberedit was

hisanalysisagainand eventohealtheharmdone

hhadits originina reactivean ietyofaquality

ycontact withapatient withnobody.

aredtobearstrainwithout e pectingthepatient

what heisdoing,perhapsovera longperiodoftime.

lyawareofhisownfearand hate.H eisin the

infant unbornornewlyborn. ventually,he

patient what hehasbeenthroughonthe patient' s

yneverget asfarasthis.Theremaybe toolittle

epatient' spast toworkon. What if therebenosatis-

yinfancyfortheanalyst toe ploit inthetrans-

betweenthosepatientswhohavehadsatisfactory

hcanbediscoveredinthetransference,andthose

enceshavebeensodeficient ordistortedthat the

nthepatient' slifetosupply certainenvironmental

t ofapatient ofthelatterkindallsortsof thingsin

mevitallyimportant,thingsthat canbetakenfor

ofpatientsoftheformertype.

erhedoes analysisinthedark,andhe said:


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






ourjobistoprov ideanordinaryenv ironment:andthe

nary . H ewassurprisedat myquestion. Hewas

sisofneurotics.But thisprovisionandmaintenance

t canbein itselfavitallyimportant thinginthe

act it canbe,at times,evenmoreimportant than

whichalsohavetobe given. ortheneuroticthe

mfort canbesymbolicalofthemother slove for

moretrueto saythat thesethingsaretheanalyst' s

ove. Thec ouc histheanalyst' slaporwomb, andthe

of theanalyst' sbody. A ndsoon.

ssioninmystatement ofmysubject.Theanalyst' s

diseasilykept so.4nanalysisofpsychoticsthe

ainto keephishatelatent,andhe canonlydothis

eofit.I want toaddthat incertainstagesofcertain ' '

ateisactuallysought bythepatient,andwhat isthen

ctive.Ifthepatient seeksobjectiveorjustifiedhate

t,elsehe cannot feelhecanreachobjectivelove.

etocitethecaseof thechildofthebrokenhome,

ts. uchachildspendshis timeunconsciouslylook-

oriouslyinadequatetotakesucha childintoone s

t happensisthat afterawhilea childsoadopted

rts totest out theenvironment hehasfound,and

ans ability tohateobjectively.It seemsthat hecan

afterreachingbeing hatedy

Wara boyofninecametoa hostelforevacuated

donnot becauseofbombsbut becauseoftruancy.

reatment duringhisstayin thehostel,but hissymp-

yashehadalwaysdonefromeverywheresincethe

ranawayfromhome.H owever,Ihadestablishedcon-

ewin whichIcouldseeandinterpret througha

ningawayhewasunconsciouslysavingtheinsideof

smotherfrom assault,aswellastryingto get away

hichwasfull ofpersecutors.

henheturnedupin thepolicestationverynear

he fewpolicestationsthat didnot knowhimin-

erouslytookhiminand kept himforthreemonths,

wasthemost lovableandmost maddeningofchil-

ad.But fortunatelyweknewwhat toe pect.We

ygivinghimcompletefreedomanda shillingwhen-

donlyto ringupandwe fetchedhimfromwhatever

argeofhim.

ange-overoccurred,thetruancysymptomturned


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

dramatizingtheassault ontheinside.It wasreally

o ofustogether,andwhenI wasout theworst

adeat anyminuteofdayornight, andoftenthe

stomakethecorrect interpretation,asiftheboy

correct interpretationthat hevaluedabove

epurposeof thispaperisthe wayinwhichthe

ersonalityengenderedhateinme,andwhat Idid

erisno, Ineverhit. B ut Ishouldhavehadtohave

nallabout myhateandif Ihadnot let himknow

ouldtakehimbybodily strength,without anger

sidethefront door,whatevertheweatheror

herewasaspecialbellhe couldring,andheknew

bereadmittedandnowordsaid about thepast.H e

ehad recoveredfromhismaniacalattack.

t eachtime,just asIput himoutsidethedoor,I

idthat what hadhappenedhadmademehatehim.

wassotrue.

portant fromthepoint ofviewofhisprogress,

ortant inenablingmetotoleratethesituationwith-

singmytemperandwithout everynowandagain

not betoldhere.H ewent toanA pproved chool.

ntous hasremainedoneofthefewstable thingsin

rdinarylife canbeusedtoillustratethe general

epresent; thisisto bedistinguishedfromhatethat

settingbut whichistappedbysomeactionofa

yoftheproblemof hateanditsroots Iwant to

eIbelieveit hasanimportancefortheanalyst of

est that themotherhatesthebabybeforethebaby

orethebabycan knowhismotherhateshim.

meIwant toreferto reud.InInstinctsand

,wherehesayssomuchthat isoriginalandillu-

eudsays: Wemight at apinchsayofan instinct that

afterwhichit strivesforpurposesofsatisfaction,but to

object strikesusasodd,so webecomeawarethat the

annot besaidtocharacterizetherelationof in-

arereservedfortherelationsof theegoasa whole

istrueand important.Doesthisnot meanthat the


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






atedbeforeaninfant canbesaidto hate H owever

chieved € ” perhapsintegrationoccursearliest at the

rrage € ” thereisatheoretic alearlierstageinwhichwhat-

urtsisnot doneinhate.I haveusedtheterm ruth-

gthisstage. Isthisac ceptable A stheinfant bec omes

erson,sodoes thewordhatedevelopmeaningasa

upofhis feelings.

esherinfant fromthewordgo.Ibelieve reud

mothermayincertaincircumstanceshaveonlylove

emaydoubt this. Weknowabout amother slove

tyandpower. et megivesomeofthereasonswhy

vena boy:

ental)conception.

childhoodplay,father schild,brother schild,etc.

produced.

rbodyin pregnancyandat birth.

cewithherprivatelife,achallengetopre-

tent amotherfeelsthat herownmotherdemandsa

producedtoplacatehermother.

evenbysuckling,whichisat first achewing

asscum,anunpaidservant,aslave.

c retionsandall, at anyrateat thebeginning, tillhe

odicallybitesher,allin love.

t about her.

boardlove,sothat havinggot what hewantshe

epeel.

minate,hemust beprotectedfromcoincidences,

aby srateandallthisneedshismother sc ontinu-

orinstanc e, shemust not bean iouswhenhold-

wat allwhat shedoesorwhat shesacrificesfor

ot allowforherhate.

hergoodfood,and makesherdoubt herself,but

ithhimshe goesout,andhesmilesat astranger,

w ee t ? '

t sheknowshewillpayher out forever.

strates € ” shemustn t eat himortradeinse w ithhim.


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

ofpsychotics,andin theultimatestagesofthe

person,theanalyst must findhimselfinaposition

motherofanew-bornbaby.Whendeeplyregressed

ywiththeanalyst orappreciatehispoint ofview

r newlyborninfant cansympathizewiththe

totoleratehatingherbabywithout doinganything

pressit tohim. If, forfearofwhat shemaydo, she

ywhenhurt byherchildshemust fallbackon

isthisthat givesrisetothefalse theoryofanatural

emost remarkablethingabout amotherisher

byherbabyandto hatesomuchwithout paying

tytowait forrewardsthat mayormaynot come

eis helpedbysomeofthenurseryrhymesshe

ysbut fortunatelydoesnot understand

etreetop,

radlewill rock,

ecradlewill fall,

dleandall.

er)playingwithasmall infant; theinfant enjoy-

wingthat theparent ise pressinghateinthewords,

ymbolism.Thisisnot asentimentalrhyme. enti-

ents,asit containsadenialofhate,andsentimen-

odat allfromtheinfant' spoint ofview.

hetherahumanchildas hedevelopsiscapable

ent ofhisownhatein asentimentalenvironment.H e

patient inanalysiscannot bee pectedtotolerate

lesstheanalyst canhatehim.

eremainsfordiscussionthequestionofthe inter-

shatetothe patient.Thisisobviouslyamatter

t needsthemost carefultiming.But Ibelievean

entowardstheend it hasnot beenpossibleforthe

what he,theanalyst,didunbeknownforthepatient

lystages.Untilthisinterpretationis madethe

tent inthepositionof infant € ” onewhocannot

stohismother.

yall thepatienceandtoleranceandreliabilityofa

nt; hastorecognizethepatient' swishesasneeds


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






restsinorderto beavailableandtobe punctualand

emtowant togivewhat isreallyonlygivenbecauseof

lperiodinwhichtheanalyst' spoint ofviewcan-

unconsciously)bythepatient.A cknowledgement can-

se,at theprimitiveroot ofthepatient that isbeing

pacityforidentificationwiththeanalyst; andcer-

seethat theanalyst' shateisoften engenderedbythe

oesinhis crudewayofloving.

nalysis)orin ordinarymanagement ofthemore

agreat strainisput on theanalyst (psychiatrist,

portant tostudythewaysin whichan ietyof

hateareproducedinthose whoworkwith

ents.Onlyinthiswaycanthere beanyhopeofthe

isadaptedtotheneedsofthetherapist ratherthan

t.


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





ransitional

I R T N OT -M P O S E S S I ON 2

sassoonas theyareborntendto usefist,

tionoftheoral erotogeniczone,insatisfactionof

,andalsoinquiet union.It isalsowellknownthat

ofeither se becomefondofplayingwithdolls,and

heirinfantssomespecialobject ande pect themto

tedtosuchobjects.

weenthesetwosets ofphenomenathat are

al,anda studyofthedevelopment fromtheearlier

able,andcanmakeuseofimportant clinical

ewhat neglected.

closetouchwithmothers interestsandprob-

ofthe veryrichpatternsordinarilydisplayedby

rst Not-Mepossession.Thesepatterns,beingdis-

odirect observation.

befoundina sequenceofeventswhichstarts

sfist-in-mouthactivities,andthat leadseventually

eddy,adoll orsoft toy,ortoa hardtoy.

eforetheBritishPsycho-A nalytical ocietyon30thMay,1951.

o l . X X X I V , 1 9 53 .

ssthat thewordusedhereis possession andnot objec t' . Inthe

tomembersIdidinfac t usetheword object' (insteadof posses-

mistake,andthisledtoconfusionin thediscussion.It waspointedout

t isusuallytakentobe thebreast.Thereader sattentionisdrawn

transitional inmanyplac esby airbairn(1952, p. 35.).


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





apers

simportant hereotherthanorale citement and

maybethebasisof everythingelse.Manyother

died,and theyinclude:

ecognizethe object asNot-Me.

€ ” outside,inside,at theborder.

create,think up,devise,originate,producean

natetypeof object relationship.

ms transit iona lobject' and transit iona lpheno-

ftheintermediateareaofe perience,betweenthe

betweentheoral erotismandtrueobject relation-

ativeactivityandprojectionofwhat hasalready

nprimaryunawarenessofindebtednessandthe

btedness( S ay : ta ' ) .

sbabblingorthe wayanolderchildgoes overa

eswhilepreparingfor sleepcomewithintheinter-

alphenomena,alongwiththeusemadeof objects

ant' sbodyyet arenot fullyrecognizedasbelonging

edthat astatement ofhumannatureisinadequate

rpersonalrelationships,evenwhenthe imaginative

ewholeoffantasybothconsciousand uncon-

ssedunconscious,isallowedfor.Thereis another

that comesout oftheresearchesofthepast two

at ofeveryindividualwhohasreachedto thestage

tingmembraneandanoutsideandan inside)it can

errealitytothat individual,aninnerworldwhich

nbe at peaceorina stateofwar.

needforthisdoublestatement,thereis need

thethird part ofthejifeofahumanbeing,a part that

mediatearea_ofe periencing,towhichinnerreality

ntribute.It isanareawhich isnot challenged,because

eha lfe cept that it sha lle ist asaresting-placefor

heperpetualhumantaskof keepinginnerandouter

elated.

rea lity - testing , andtomakeacleardistinctionbe-

erception.Iamherestakinga claimforaninter-

aby sinabilityandgrowingabilityto recognizeand

orestudyingthesubstanceofillusion,that whichis

whichin adult lifeisinherent inart andreligion.


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

edbysoundsof mum-mum ,babbling,1anal

otesandsoon.

nking,orfantasying,getslinkedupwiththese

ingtransitionalphenomena.Al so,out ofallthis(if

eremay emergesomethingorsomephenomenon

ndleofwoolorthecornerofablanket oreiderdown, ora

rism,whichbecomesjutallyimportant totheinfant

to sleep,andisa defenceagainst an iety,especially

pe. Illingworth,1951.)Perhapssomesoft object or

ndusedby theinfant,andthisthenbecomes

onalobject.Thisobject goesonbeingimportant.

svalueandcarry it roundwhentravelling.The

devensmelly,knowingthat bywashingit sheintro-

y intheinfant' se perienc e, abreak that may

alueofthe object totheinfant.

oftransitionalphenomenabeginstoshowat

urposelyIleaveroomforwidevariations.

ypersist intochildhood,sothat theoriginalsoft

olutelynecessaryat bed-timeorat timeofloneliness

threatens.Inhealth,however,thereis agradual

terest, andeventually thee tendedrangeismain-

sivean ietyisnear.A needforaspecificobject ora

artedat averyearlydatemayreappearat alaterage

ns.

dinconjunctionwithspecialtechniquesderived

hichcanincludeore ist apart fromthemore

.Graduallyinthelifeof aninfant teddiesanddolls

.Boysto somee tent tendtogooverto usehard

dtoproceedright aheadtotheacquisitionof a

ote,however,that thereisnonoticeabledifference

eiruseoftheoriginal Not-Mepossession,whichIam

ect.

eorganizedsounds(mum,ta, da)theremayappear

sitionalobjec t. Thenamegivenbytheinfant tothese

nificant,andit usuallyhasawordusedby theadults

orinstanc e, baa maybethename, andthe b

adult' suseof theword baby or bear .

metimesthereisnotransitionalobject e cept the

t maybesodisturbedin emotionaldevelopment


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





BJ E CT A ND TRAN ITIONAL PH E NOM NA

annot beenjoyed,orthesequenceofobjectsusedis

yneverthelessbemaintainedinahiddenway.

ualitiesintheRelationship

tsovertheobject,andweagree tothisassump-

brogationofomnipotenceisafeaturefrom

telycuddledaswellase citedlylovedand

nlesschangedbytheinfant.

tualloving,andalsohating,and, ifit beafeature,

nfant togivewarmth,ortomove,or tohave

hingthat seemstoshowit hasvitalityorreality

romourpoint ofview,but not sofromthepoint

rdoes it comefromwithin it isnot an

yallowedtobe decathected,sothat inthecourse

omuchforgottenasrelegatedtolimbo.Bythis

ransitionalobject doesnot goinside nordoes

arilyundergorepression.It isnot forgotten

osesmeaning,andthisisbecausethetransi-

ecomediffused,havebecomespreadout over

erritorybetween innerpsyc hic reality and the

eivedbytwopersonsincommon , that istosay ,

d.

t widensout intothat ofplay,andofartisticcrea-

dofreligiousfeeling,andof dreaming,andalsoof

g,theoriginand lossofaffectionatefeeling,drug

obsessionalrituals,etc.

onalObject to ymbolism

blanket (orwhateverit is)issymbolicalofsome

east.Neverthelessthepoint ofit isnot itssymbolic

ality.Itsnot beingthebreast (orthemother)

that it standsforthebreast (ormother).

yedtheinfant isalreadyclearlydistinguishing

betweeninnerobjectsande ternalobjects,between

ception.But thetermtransitionalobject,according

omforthe processofbecomingabletoaccept


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

thinkthereis useforaterm fortheroot ofsym-

t describestheinfant' sjourneyfromthepurelysub-

oobjec tivity andit seemsjtomethat thetransitionalobject (piec eof

eeofthis journeyofprogresstowardse periencing.

erstandthetransitionalobject whilenot fully

ofsymbolism.It seemsthat symbolismcanonlybe

cessof thegrowthofanindividual,andthat it has

meaning. orinstance,ifweconsiderthewaferof

,whichissymbolicofthebodyofChrist,I thinkIam

RomanCatholiccommunityit isthebody,and

unityit isasubstitute,areminder,andisessentially

dyitself.Yet inbothcasesit isasymbol.

me,afterChristmas,hadI enjoyedeatingherat

reallyeatenheroronly infantasy.Iknewthat she

heitheralternative.Her split neededthedouble

RI PT IO NO A T R A N I TI ON A L O BJ E C T

parentsand children,thereisaninfinitequantity

inicalmaterial.1Thefollowingillustrationsare

dersofsimilar materialintheirowne periences.

earlyUseofPossessions

onalobject.X ,nowahealthyman,hashad tofight

. Themother learnedhowtobeamother inher

e wasaninfant andshewasabletoavoidcertain

ldrenbecauseofwhat shelearnedwithhim.There

onswhyshewasan iousat thetimeofherrather

whenhewasborn. hetookherjobas amothervery

edX forsevenmonths. hefeelsthat inhiscasethis

erydifficult towean.H eneversuckedhisthumbor

weanedhim hehadnothingtofallbac kon . H ehad

ummyoranyotherform offeeding.H ehadavery

ent tothemotherherself,asaperson,andit washer

ed.

adoptedarabbit whichhewouldcuddleandhis

e amplesintheoneartic leIhavefoundonthissamesubjec t. Wulf f

ct Choicein arlyChildhood , Psychoanal. Q uart. , 1946, 15, p. 450)

ephenomenon,but hecallstheobjects fetishobjects .It isnot

iscorrect,andIdiscussthisbelow.I didnot actuallyknowof

dwrittenmyown,but it gavemegreat pleasureandsupport tofind

eenconsideredworthyofdiscussionbyacolleague. eealso

indner(1879).


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






erabbit eventuallytransferredtorealrabbits.This

hewas fiveorsi yearsold.It couldbedescribedas

adthetrue qualityofatransitionalobject.It was

lobject wouldhavebeen,moreimportant thanthe

arablepart oftheinfant.Inthecaseof thisparticular

swhichwerebrought toaheadbythe weaningat

cedasthma,andonlygraduallydidheconquerthis.

at hefoundemployment farawayfromthehome

hismotheris stillverypowerful.H ecomeswithinthe

normal,or healthy.Thismanhasnot married.

object.X ' syoungerbrother,Y,hasdevelopedin

ythroughout.H enowhasthreehealthychildrenof

thebreast forfourmonthsandthenweanedwithout

umbintheearly weeksandthisagain madewean-

rhisolderbrother . oonaf terweaningat f ivetosi

dof theblanket wherethestitchingfinished.H e

ofthewoolstuckout at thecornerandwiththishe

sveryearlybecamehis B aa heinventedthisword

coulduseorganizedsounds. romthetimewhen

wasabletosubstituteforthe endoftheblanket a

edtie. Thiswasnot a c omforter asinthec aseof the

but a soother .It wasasedativewhichalways

ampleofwhat IamcallingaTransitionalObject.

wasalwayscertainthat ifanyonegavehimhis

ediatelysuc k it andlosean iety , andinfac t hewouldgo

tesifthetimefor sleepwereat allnear.Thethumb-

ametime,lastinguntilhe wasthreeorfouryears

mb-suckingandahardplaceon onethumbwhich

winterested(as afather)inthe thumb-suckingofhis

seof B aas .

ychildrenin thisfamilybringsout thepoints,

nthetableon page236.

nt it isoftenvaluabletoget informationabout

ossessionsofallthe childrenofthefamily.This

mparisonofherchildrenonewithanother,and

ndcomparetheircharacteristicsat anearlyage.

btainedfromachildin regardtotransitional

ngus(11years9 months)toldmethat hisbrother has

and beforethat hehadlittlebears , andhefol-

nedfromherfirst childthat it wasagoodideato giveonebottle

,that is,toallowforthe positivevalueofsubstitutesforherself,

hievedeasierweaningthanwithX .


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

bout hisownhistory.H esaidhenever hadteddies.

chhungdown,atagendof whichhewouldgoon

ep.Probablyintheend it fell,andthat wastheend

somethingelse.H ewasveryshyabout this.It was

yes. Iwasn t fondof it. Iusedtothrow it around.

veit tohim. Igaveit to eremybec auseit was

hechest ofdrawers.It stillvisitsme.I likeit tovisit

mselfwhenhedrewthepurple rabbit.It willbenotedthat

ther)

iv e)

uranc e)

on)

sorting)

oft objectsdistinguishedbycolour,

bjectedtosortingand

iththeordinarygoodreality-senseofhisage spoke

ewhendescribingthetransitionalobject' squalities

hemotherlater shee pressedsurprisethat A ngus

bbit. heeasilyrecognizedit fromthecoloured

ivingmorecasematerialhere,particularlyas I

pressionthat what Iamreportingis rare.In

orythereissomethingtobe foundthat isinteresting

ena,orintheir absence(cf. tevenson,Olive,1954).

TUDY

ntsthat canbemadeonthebasisof accepted

standsforthebreast,ortheobject ofthefirst

ntedatesestablishedreality-testing.

onalobject theinfant passesfrom(magical)

rolbymanipulation(involvingmuscle

pleasure).

mayeventuallydevelopintoafetishobject and


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






stic of theadult se uallife. ( eeWulff s

.)

ay,becauseofanal-eroticorganization,stand

his reasonthat it maybecomesmellyand

bject ( lein)

rethetransitionalobject concept withMelanie

internalobject.Thetransitionalobject isnot aninternal

c onc ept) € ” it isapossession. Yet it isnot (forthe

ct either.

tatement hastobemade.Theinfant canemploy

ntheinternalobject isaliveandrealand.good

ory).But thisinternalobject dependsforitsqualities

venessandbehaviourofthee ternalobject (breast,

vironmentalcare).Badnessorfailureofthelatter

ssorto apersecutoryqualityofinternalobject.

ureof thee ternalobject theinternalobject failsto

t andthen,,andthenonly,doesthe transitionalob-

oo.Thetransitionalobject maythereforestandfor

east, TjuTindirec tlyso, throughstandingforan internal

everundermagicalcontrolliketheinternal

ntrolasthereal motheris.

oundformyownpositivecontributiontothis

rdssomeofthethings that Ithinkaretakentoo

psycho-analyticwritingsoninfantileemotional

eymaybeunderstoodinpractice.

everforan infant toproceedfromthepleasure-

cipleor towardsandbeyondprimaryidentification

1unlessthereis agoodenoughmother.2Thegood

ot nec essarily theinfant' sownmother)isonewhomakes

fant' sneeds,anactiveadaptationthat gradually

1 ), p . 6 5.

effect,offailure ofthemotherinthis respect at thestart ofan

edclearly(inmyview)byMarionMilner(1952,p. 181). heshows

r sfailurethereis brought about aprematureegodevelopment,

t ofabadfroma goodobject.Theperiodofillusion(or my

rbed.Inanalysisor invariousactivitiesinordinarylife an

e goingonseekingthevaluableresting-placeofillusion.Illusion

evalue. eealso reud(1950).


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

nfant' sgrowingabilitytoaccount forfailureof

theresultsof frustration.Naturallytheinfant' s

o begoodenoughthansomeotherperson,since

mandsaneasyandunresentedpreoccupationwith

uccessininfant caredependsonthefact ofdevotion,

ctualenlightenment.

,asIhavestated,startsoff withanalmost com-

nt' sneeds,andastime proceedssheadaptsless

ually,accordingtotheinfant' sgrowingabilityto

ealingwiththis maternalfailureincludethefol-

perienc e, of tenrepeated, that thereisatimelimit to

urally,thistimelimit must beshort.

ess.

ctivity.

eroticsatisfactions.

antasying,dreaming theintegratingof past,

future.

anactuallycometogainfromthee perienceof

eteadaptationtoneedmakesobjectsreal,that isto

hatedaswellasloved. Thec onsequenc eof thisisthat ifa llgoeswellthe

acloseadaptationtoneedthat iscontinuedtoo

aldecrease,sincee act adaptationresemblesmagic

esperfectlybecomesnobetterthananhallucina-

start adaptationneedstobealmost e act,andunless

fortheinfant tobegintodevelopa capacitytoe -

e ternalreality,oreventoform aconceptionof

Illusion

ing,byanalmost 100 percent adaptationaffords

yfortheillusionthat herbreast ispart oftheinfant.

gicalcontrol.Thesamecanbesaidin termsofinfant

et timesbetweene citements.Omnipotenceisnearly

emother seventualtaskisgraduallyto disillusionthe

eofsuccessunlessat first shehasbeenabletogive

usion.

reast iscreatedbytheinfant overandoveragain

citytoloveor(onecan say)out ofneed.A subjective


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






thebabywhichwecallthemother sbreast.1The

reast just therewheretheinfant isreadytocreate,m

ehumanbeingis concernedwiththeproblemof

what isobjectivelyperceivedandwhat issubjectively

utionofthis problemthereisnohealthfor the

beenstartedoffwellenoughby themother.The

hlamreferringisthe areathat isallowedtotheinfant

tyandobjectiveperceptionbasedonreality-testing.The

epresent theearlystagesofthe useofillusion,with-

ingforthe humanbeingintheideaof arelation-

perceivedbyothersase ternaltothat being.

g.19 isthis:that at sometheoreticalpoint earlyin

yhumanindividualaninfant inacertainsettingpro-

pableofconceivingoftheideaofsomethingwhich

eedwhicharisesout ofinstinctualtension.Thein-

wat first what istobe created.At this point intime

lf.Inthe ordinarywayshegivesherbreast andher

emother sadaptationtotheinfant' sneeds,when

ant theillusionthat thereisane ternalrealitythat

sowncapacitytocreate.Inotherwords,there isan

emothersuppliesandwhat thechildmight conceive

d perceiveswhat themotheractuallypresents,but

Theinfant perceivesthebreast onlyinsofaras a

st thereandthen.Thereisnointerchangebetween

Psychologicallytheinfant takesfromabreast that

emothergivesmilk toaninfant that ispart ofher-

aofinterchangeisbased onanillusion.

nto theareaofillusion,to illustratewhat Iconsider

thetransitionalobject andoftransitionalpheno-

ect andthetransitionalphenomenastart each

willalwaysbeimportant forthem,i.e.aneutral

chwillnot bechallenged.Ofthetransitionalobject it can

fagreement betweenusandthebabythat wewill

Didyouconceiveofthisor wasit presentedtoyoufrom

iqueofmothering.Whenit issaid that thefirst object isthe

t' isused,Ibelieve,to standfortharfechniqueofmotheringaswellas

ot impossibleforamothertobe agood-enoughmomer(inmy

ottlefortheactualfeeding.If thiswidemeaningoftheword

nd,andmaternaltechniqueisseen tobeincludedinthe totalmeaning

abridgeformingbetweenthewordingofMelanie lein sstate-

hat ofA nna reud.Theonlydifferenceleft isoneofdates,which

ifferencewhichwillautomaticallydisappearinthe courseoftime.


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





ant point isthat nodecisiononthis point ise pected.The

lated.

ubtedlyconcernsthehumaninfant inahidden

uallybecomesanobviousproblemonaccount of

smaintask(ne t toprovidingopportunityforillu-

sis preliminarytothetaskofweaning,andit also

ks ofparentsandeducators.Inotherwords,this

hichbelongsinherentlytohumanbeingsandwhich

forhimselfor herself,althoughatheoreticalunder-

eatheoreticalsolution.Ifthingsgo well,inthis

rocess,thestageisset forthefrustrationsthat we

wordweaning but it shouldberememberedthat

enomena(which leinhasspecificallyillumin-

eaningweareassumingtheunderlyingprocess,the

nityforillusionandgradualdisillusionment ispro-

ment hasgoneastraytheinfant cannot attaintoso

nor toareactiontoweaning,andit isthenabsurd

hemereterminationofbreast feedingisnot a

ssignificanceofweaninginthe caseofthenormal

ecomple reactionthat isset goinginacertain

essweknowthat thisisableto takeplaceinthat

disillusionment processisbeingcarriedthroughso

whilediscussingactualweaning.

taskof reality-acceptanceisnevercompleted,

e fromthestrainofrelating innerandouterreality,

ainis providedbyanintermediateareaofe peri-

ed(arts,religion,etc.).(cf.Riviere,1936).This


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h






ct continuitywiththeplayareaofthe smallchild

.

eareaisnecessaryforthe initiationofarelation-

the world,andismadepossiblebygood enough

calphase. ssentialtoallthis iscontinuity(in

otionalenvironment andofparticularelementsinthe

hasthetransitionalobject orobjects.

enaareallowabletothe infant becauseofthe

nitionofthestraininherent inobjectiveperception,

heinfant inregardtosubjectivityorobjectivityjust

ansitionalobject.

aimsonusforour acceptanceoftheobjectivityof

awediscernordiagnosemadness.If,however,the

ythepersonalintermediateareawithout making

owledgeourowncorrespondingintermediateareas,

amplesofoverlapping, that istosayc ommone -

ersofagroupinart orreligionorphilosophy.

ttentiontothepaperbyWulff,referredto

aterialisgivenillustratinge actlythat whichI

headingoftransitionalobjectsandtransitional

erencebetweenmypoint ofviewandthat ofWulff

e ofthisspecialtermandhis useoftheterm fetish

Wulf f spaperseemstoshowthat inusingthewordfetish

cysomethingthat belongsinordinarytheoryto the

not abletofindin hisarticlesufficient roomforthe

stransitionalobject asahealthyearlye perience.

sitionalphenomenaarehealthyanduniversal.

heuseofthe wordfetishtocovernormalphenomena

some ofthevalueofthe term.

ewordfetishtodescribethe object that isem-

usionofa maternalphallus.Iwouldthengofurther

paplaceforthe illusionofamaternalphallus,that is

ersaland not pathological.Ifweshift theaccent

hewordillusion weget neartotheinfant' stransi-

tanceliesinthe concept ofillusion,auniversalin the

owthetransitionalobject tobepotentiallya

inallythebreast,that istosay,the thingcreatedby

etimeprovidedfromtheenvironment.Inthis wayI

fant' suseofthe transitionalobject andoftransi-

ralmaythrowlight ontheoriginof thefetishobject

omethingto belost,however,inworking


/ h t t p : / / w w w . h





papers

he-pathologyoffetishismtothe transitional

tothebeginningsofe perienceandwhichare

onaldevelopment.

richfieldforobservationprovidedbytheearliest

hyinfant ase pressedprincipallyintherelationship

tedbackwardsintimetoauto-eroticphenomena

ng,andalsoforwardstothe first soft animalordoll

tedbothtothee ternalobject (mother sbreast)and

allyintrojectedbreast),but isdistinct fromeach.

dtransitionalphenomenabelongtotherealmof

sofinitiationof e perience.Thisearlystagein

iblebythe mother sspecialcapacityformaking

her infant,thusallowingtheinfant theillusionthat

allye ists.

perience,unchallengedinrespect ofitsbelong-

shared)reality,constitutesthegreaterpart ofthein-

dthroughout lifeisretainedintheintensee perienc ing

toreligionandtoimaginativeliving,and to

oncanthereforebestated.

alobject ordinarilybecomesgraduallydecathected,

estsdevelop.

ntermsof regressiontotheearlystageat whichthe

reunchallenged.

bedintermsof apersistenceofaspecificobject or

nfantilee perienceinthetransitionalfield,linked

ernalphallus.

dthievingcanbedescribedintermsofan indi-

getobridgeagapinc ontinuityofe perienc ein

ject.

, G o o g l e - d i g i t i z e d

/ h t t p : / / w w w . h



Winnicott, D.W. - Selected Essays

Documents

Transcript of Winnicott, D.W. - Selected Essays