[W. D. Winnicott and the transitional object in infancy]

Abstract

Donald Winnicott (1896-1971), specialist in children's diseases, psychology and psychotherapy, tried to put together his experience in all these fields. His theories can be put between the orthodox psychoanalytic thought and a "relational" paediatrics. He made his research on the "global reality" of child rather than being interested in the "internal objects". Both the orthodox analysts, who condemned his theories, and the specialists in children's diseases, who didn't recognize the scientific aspect of his genius, criticised and opposed Winnicott. Even if sometimes his theories have not an organic unity, they are the result of very detailed clinical observations, which are supported by a large experience with children at the Paddington Green Children Hospital and the Queen's Hospital for Children in London. With "transition", Winnicott means an intermediate development area between the psychic and external reality. There, we can find the "transitional object", which is the first element leading the child to face the external reality through the creation of symbols. Winnicott goes over the idea of the binomial mother-child, intended as instinctive development, and underlining the importance of real experiences. In his opinion, in the child development one has to stress the concept of "need" instead of that of "desire". A good environment and the empathic contact with "a fairly good mother", cause the passage from the primary narcissism to the object relationships. A fairly good mother must be able to perform holding, handling, and object presenting. Her duty is that of gradually undeceiving, and to do it she must give a sufficient opportunity of illusion. The mother, offering the right opportunity of illusion, puts the basis of symbols. Subsequently, she will go on a gradual disillusion. Winnicott disagrees Klein's ideas by stating that "playing is therapeutic in its own aspect", seeing it as a potential space between mother and child, which will become the place of analysis and transfer and, after on, that of cultural experience.