Customer Reviews:
Psycho-Analysis.......2005-12-12
This book collects together various contributions that I have addressed to scientific audiences.
The student will not turn to these pages for instruction in basic psychoanalytic conncepts and techniques. A knowledge of these I was able to take for granted since my audience was composed chiefly of analysts. I have been concerned with putting forward my own point of view and testing out my own ideas as they came to me in the course of my clinical work.
My clinical experience has been varied. I have never cut loose from paediatric practrice which was my starting point. It has been valuable to me to keep in touch with social pressure, which I have had to meet as a physician at a children's hospital. Also I have enjoyed the constant challenge of private practice and the therapeutic consultaton. These interests have provided me with an opportunity for applying in a general way what I have at the same time been learning through the practice of psycho-analysis proper.
My hope is that this book will show that paediatrics is one of the legitimate ways into psycho-analysis, and indeed a good one.
It has been found convenient to group the papers into three sections. In the first are reprinted two chapters from an earlier book (Winnicott, 1931), now out of print, and in these chapters is represented my attitude as a paediatrician prior to my training in psycho-analysis. I wrote as a paediatrician to paediatricians.
The papers in the second section can be recognized as coming from a paediatrician - one, however, who has become psycho-analytically orientated.
The third section is my personal contribution to current psycho-analytic theory and practice. --from book's preface
Average customer rating:
- A Profound Opening into the Origins of Love and Culture
- Intellectual babble
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Playing and Reality (Routledge Classics)
D.W. Winnicott
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ASIN: 0415345464 |
Book Description
For the pioneering psychologist D.W. Winnicott, a creative approach to the world is what makes life worth living. But what are the origins of creativity and how can we develop it - whether within ourselves or in others? Not only does Playing and Reality address these questions, it also tackles many more that surround the fundamental issue of the individual self and its relationship with the outside world. In this landmark book of twentieth-century psychology he shows the reader how, through the attentive nurturing of creativity from the earliest years, every individual has the opportunity to enjoy a rich and rewarding cultural life. Today, as the 'hothousing' and testing of children begins at an ever-younger age, Winnicott's classic text is a more urgent and topical read than ever before.
Customer Reviews:
A Profound Opening into the Origins of Love and Culture.......2003-10-14
I am sorry to be so blunt about this, but previous reviewers Sierra and whomi do not appear to have really grasped Winnicott's work in this book (Sierra really has no clue at all). I have to respond at some length. But better to just read the book.
Winnicott (henceforward DWW) creates--in an enormous leap away from Freud--a vision of the complex and beautiful relationship of the infant and primary caregiver. In fact he speaks of the "mother infant dyad," rather than two separate persons during the first few months of life. From this union, if all goes well, the child gradual emerges and develops a sense of self through a process of disillusionment by the mother, in doses the infant can withstand.
As this occurs, the child symbolizes the lost union with the mother in what DWW calls "transitional objects" and begins, with the comfort of these objects, to begin to play in what DWW calls the "potential space." We might call it the realm of culture, of love, and of religion. Only with successful caregiving does the child have a chance to fully develop as a person, and DWW shows, in loving detail and case histories, how this happens through the devotion of the mother.
This is why DWW's work is vital not merely to psychoanalysts, but to every person on this planet. His work has influenced two generations of therapists, theorists, and educators and, indirectly, every one of us. Further, his work has increasingly been supported by developmental insights gained from attachment theory and other experimental and verifiable studies.
I don't normally write reviews on amazon.com, but I could not let foolish misreadings by other reviewers stand unchallenged. Sierra's attitude is not only condescending, it is lazy. Enough said. As for whomi, I appreciate the thought there, but DWW *does* allow for gradual disillusionment through experience of the external world. If whomi missed it that does not mean it is not there. As for using Derrida to read DWW, I imagine that is useful. Go to it, if you like. But let's not forget that the work of Lacan is inconceivable without DWW, and the work of Derrida inconceivable without Lacan.
DWW indisputably and deservedly stands as one of the most influential psychological thinkers of the 20th century. Further, his use of language is simple and yet always provocative, finding new depth and meaning in the simplest of words.
Please consider reading DWW and judge for yourself.
Franz Metcalf
Intellectual babble.......2002-07-03
Winnicott's book was difficult for me to get through. With the exception of his case studies, which were somewhat entertaining, it's nothing but monotonous intellectual babble. The title sounds interesting, but the content was not useful to me in the least. There is nothing in this book that would help a typical person to raise an emotionally healthy child. Winnicott is writing for a very select group of people: other psychoanalysts.
Nowadays, the majority of people in our society consider Freud to be a joke. While Winnicott does not agree with Freud about everything, he's Freudian enough for me to have trouble taking him seriously. His work seems old and outdated.
Winnicott writes his theory in a way which makes it sound complex and important. In actuality, it is extremely simple and could be summed up in a few sentences. I'm not going to say anything else about this book because it is not even worth thinking about or remembering.
Book Description
"Reading this collection one is reminded forcibly of the complexities and variety of human problems and that it takes more than a 'token economy' or 'aversive conditioning' to deal with many of them."--British Journal of Social Work
Customer Reviews:
Early loss of the caregiver and later behavior problems.......2000-04-14
This little book should be required reading for everyone who works with kids who have serious behavior problems. Winnicott was a pediatrician and psychoanalyst who had many years of close, intimate contact with families, especially families of troubled children. He makes a convincing case that children who steal, lie, destroy property, assault others, etc. are attempting to compensate for early separation/loss of an important caregiver. He views such behaviors as attempts to coerce the environment into taking notice and "containing" the child. As such, these behaviors are "hopeful", and are viewed as the child's efforts to reclaim the satisfactions that were lost -- to take back what once was theirs. Children who had adequate care that was lost are the children Winnicott suggests become anti-social. There are numerous vignettes of his personal experiences in trying to treat delinquent kids. He makes a compelling argument for early loss as a decisive factor in later delinquent acts. Although he ultimately felt that "treatment" was only possible after an extended period of "containment", he maintained his conviction that these kids have sustained losses too dreadful for them to think about. He was a good-humored and compassionate clinician with an enduring belief in the profound importance of the child's early relationships. People who work with delinquent kids may just find that Winnicott's understanding of children helps them hang on when the going gets tough. I treasure this book. Another great Winnicott book is "Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry", an out-of-print classic.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book!.......2002-12-03
Winnicott is so right on with his observations, and in this book his thoughts are accessible to anyone who is interested in learning about how children experience the world and grow into being a part of it. His tone is so compassionate that one just knows he must have been a wonderful therapist - and person. His ideas are easy to follow and he writes as if he is speaking to you, as a friend and a wise person.
Some very deep thoughts about twins.......1999-01-02
In this book the chapter about twins really stands out and has more to say in five short pages than most other literature on the subject. The difference is that where others see twins more or less as freaks of nature on whom one can test ones ideas about the nature-nurture-issue, Winnicott sees them as individual persons. Where others stress the obvious fact of their similarity, Winnicott stresses that twins are two different persons right from the outset and that being a twin has its advantages, but also its drawbacks for the necessary task of developing ones own personality. he observes that while most twins get along well enough, they often did not manage to distance themselves enough to really love each other. This is a thought-provoking piece.
Customer Reviews:
Papers of a great humane thinker.......2000-08-04
These essays were collected and published posthumously, by Winnicott's widow, Clare, and colleagues. British pediatrician, humanitarian, and ground-breaking psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott died in 1971, having made a nearly immeasurable contribution to the fields of psychoanalysis and child psychology. In this volume, as with his other writings, his ideas are deep, reverential and respectful, and often somewhat complex, and at the same time, his presentation is utterly simple and straightforward. The reader is fully engaged, as a result of Winnicott's incredible knack for connecting with his audience.
The lively and interesting papers comprising this utterly accessible collection were written over a wide span of time - three decades or more. The selections are varied, and have been separated for readerly convenience into several sections: "Health and Illness," "The Family," and, finally, "Reflections on Society." Some were written in order to be presented at meetings of the medical and/or psychoanalytic community; others, to various civic, political, and other groups (The Progressive League, The Liberal Magazine, The Borstal Assistant Governors' Conference, etc.)
The collection is various and interesting for its content but also for - not in spite of - its grab-bag feel. Winnicott was comfortable with his listeners, and never afraid to speak simply, clearly, and with his trademark empathy intact. In fact, that empathy was at the core of his work. There's a great variety in it, too. "The Price of Disregarding Psychoanalytic Research," a talk given in 1965, details the importance of his philosophy. ("The link between poetic truth and scientific truth is surely in the person, in you and me.") Essays such as the 1963 "The Value of Depression" ("Always, depression implies ego strength...") and the 1967 "Delinquency as a Sign of Hope" ("the antisocial tendency is linked inherently with deprivation" ) show Winnicott at his very best. And the playful and kind 1969 "The Pill and the Moon" - written for an address to the Progressive League in the 1960's - is wonderful.
Some of these hopeful and kindhearted essays show their age, but in a welcome and lovely way, and therefore each is well worth reading and thinking about.
Customer Reviews:
Piggle.......2007-02-08
This is a illuminating account not only of a little girl but of D.W. Winnicott himself, the master analyst.
Finding the Piggle.......2003-02-27
The Piggle is an account of a child analysis, a case history. That child is Gabrielle, nicknamed "the piggle" and she was two and a half years old at the onset of her treatment. The Piggle is a delightful book to read. Though it is a professional psychoanalytic text, it is not stuffy or full of jargon. This book is a very good starting point for learning about how children's minds work and the role that fantasy and play have in healthy psychological development. Reading it is like learning your A. B. C's as a song rather than having to learn by rote.
Gabrielle's parents brought her to Dr. Winnicott's office because she had trouble sleeping, anxiety problems and because she was not herself. Other symptoms included nightmares, difficulty controlling her temper, difficulty in concentration, and listlessness. When she was first seen, she seemed to withdraw from relationships with people. This flight from other relationships and premature independence caused alarm her parents. Gabrielle's sister was born when Gabrielle was 21 months old. The Piggle exhibited jealousy and regressive behaviors (acting more childishly than she was developmentally). Gabrielle presented what some people might call alarming fantasies. They were fantasies gone wild and they consumed her so that she seemed to live inside them somewhat like an adult psychotic might do. The fantasies Gabrielle presented have a "through the looking glass" quality at times. She had trouble telling reality from her dreams. Verbally, a complex story emerged full of "babacars," "yams," "sush babies," "moo's burrr's" and "bryyyyyh babies." These were her made up words for things or people in her world.
Because the child lived far from Dr. Winnicott's office, her parents had to travel a long way by train to be seen. For this reason she was seen on demand or whenever it seemed necessarily. There were only 14 sessions during the whole course of treatment which began when she was two and a half and ended when she was aged five.
During the beginning of the treatment Gabrielle was having frequent nightmares. She would not admit to being herself saying rather that she was this or that imaginary person. She would often say that "the piggle" had gone away. She was full of aggressive feelings. Many of these fantasies appeared to relate to her mother's pregnancy. The "Sush Baba" was her sister Susan. Her parents suspected Gabrielle had tried to become prematurely independent when Susan was born but could not sustain this because she did not have the emotional skills and resources to do so. They are quoted as saying, "when Susan was born, Gabrielle seemed somehow thrown out of her mold, and off from her sources of nourishment (p. 20).
Gabrielle is concerned with "nastiness" (p. 99), her own and that of others. About this issue, Winnicott shows us how people, even children symbolize their experiences in interlocking images, ideas, and feelings. Strange and complex mental representations occur in even two year olds.
Winnicott is showing us through direct case history how the oddity of psychoanalytic child therapy plays out. For example, Winnicott says, "Here she was eating the plastic man. I said she was eating the man because she wanted to eat me." Then he says, "If you eat me that would be taking me away inside you, and then you would not mind going" (p 105). This is said to three and one half year old Gabrielle who is playing with a plastic toy. Winnicott is speaking metaphor to her and what he is saying is that Gabrielle misses him (the plastic man represents him) when she is away. If she could internalize a symbolic representation (a memory) of him she would not mind going home so much and would be able to tolerate the separation because she could evoke her memory of him to comfort herself. Gabrielle speaks metaphor also and she understands what he means when he makes the interpretations of her actions. When psychoanalytic people talk of this they say internalization, introjection, incorporation, or transmuting internalization to refer to phenomena in this general ball park. This is the technical language of metapsychology and Winnicott does not need to refer to it to explain the situation. It makes reading him much more accessible and much less tedious.
As the treatment progresses, both Winnicott and Gabrielle's parents agree that "Gabrielle showed growing confidence now in my ability to tolerate muddle, dirt, inside things, and incontinence and madness" (p. 105). (That's a good thing.)
As the treatment is nearing termination, Winnicott receives very high praise from the patient, `Dr. Winnicott is a very good maker-better of babies.' (p. 107).
All in all, this book is a very good read containing a startling amount of information despite the relaxed tone and jargon-free language. It makes a good starting point for acquiring a professional understanding of psychoanalytic treatment methodology and is understandable with a little help by most parents.
Marilyn Graves, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice who sees children, adolescents, and adults. She also writes book reviews and parenting articles.
Book Description
A collection of his papers divided between 'child development' and 'theory and practice'.
Book Description
Although he founded no school of his own, 0. W. Winnicott (1896 1971) is now regarded as one of the most influential contributors to psychoanalysis since Freud. In over forty years of clinical practice, he brought unprecedented skill and intuition to the psychoanalysis of children. This critical new work by Adam Phillips presents the best short introduction to the thought and practice of D. W. Winnicott that is currently available.
Winnicott's work was devoted to the recognition and description of the good mother and the use of the mother-infant relationship as the model of psychoanalytic treatment, His belief in natural development became a covert critique of overinterpretative methods of psychoanalysis. He combined his idiosyncratic approach to psychoanalysis with a willingness to make his work available to nonspecialist audiences. In this book Winnicott takes his place with Melanie K'ein and Jacques Lacan as one of the great innovators within the psychoanalytic tradition.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent primer on Winnicott.......1998-02-03
Renowned, revered, kind-hearted D.W. Winnicott (1896-1971) was a pediatrician and then a child analyst whose contributions to theories of child development and psychology (mothering, love, language, attachment, dependency, anxiety and many other topics) were enormous. Phillips' book illuminates Winnicott's body of work and includes a chronology. The tone is respectful and insightful and Phillips' knack for skillful explanation and analysis is here. But he knows Winnicott's work -- and life -- by heart, and has written extensively on him elsewhere, and occasionally in this work he meshes the two -- biography and work -- so seamlessly that I wished for more. As an intro to Winnicott's ideas, this is first-rate.
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Winnicott On the Child
Playing and Reality (Routledge Classics)
Talking to Parents
