Psycho-Analytic Explorations - Softcover

Winnicott, D.W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0674720911 ISBN 13: 9780674720916

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1992

Synopsis

The editors of The Winnicott Trust have assembled into one volume ninety-two works by the brilliant writer, theoretician, and clinician. This fascinating volume includes, among many important topics, critiques of Melanie Klein's ideas and insights into the work of other psychoanalysts, as well as gems of thought on such concepts as play in the analytic situation, the fate of the transitional object, regression in psychoanalysis, and the use of silence in psychotherapy.

About this title

About the Author:

Donald Winnicott (1896-1971) was trained in paediatrics, a profession that he practiced to the end of his life, in particular at the Paddington Green Children's Hospital. He began analysis with James Strachey in 1923, became a member of the British Psycho-Analytical Society in 1935, and twice served as its President. He was also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and of the British Psychological Society.

Review:

This is a special book. (C. V. Haldipur, M.D. American Journal of Psychotherapy)

Donald W. Winnicott was one of the leading figures in psychoanalysis in the generation after Freud...The implications of Winnicott's work are vast, both for human development and for the treatment of patients of any age...His contributions make a storehouse of ideas for those who are pressing beyond more classically psychoanalytic formulations, and he is a link between psychoanalysis and adjacent fields of thought. (F. Robert Rodman, M.D)

Winnicott provides the reader with an exceptionally rich source of thoughts and ideas to 'play' with in ways similar to the children and adolescents he so thoughtfully studied. The inclusion of many here to fore unpublished papers provides the reader with a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on Winnicott as he works his way through patient interviews and reflects on the work of his contemporaries...This volume is a pleasure, both for its content and its insight into the psychoanalytic process. Winnicott's ability to eloquently communicate his thoughts and analyses makes it easy to understand his prominence in the post-World War II psychoanalytic arena. (William R. Jankel Science Books & Films)

As well as being informative, [this book] is a delight to read. Its value comes from the light it throws on Winnicott as a person and on the evolution of his ideas. In an initial 'Reflection,' Winnicott's wife, Clare, attempts 'to throw some light on D.W.W.'s capacity for playing' (p. 3). In so doing, she tells us a great deal about the man himself and his formative years...It is the playful quality of his writing style that makes it such a pleasure to read...All the important Winnicottian themes are represented in this book: honesty and deceiving, the uses of silence, psychosomatic disorders, the transitional object, fear of breakdown, orgastic pleasure, play in the analytic situation, regression, male and female elements of the self, envy, and, of course, the mother and the baby...Winnicott's technique emerges here with great clarity. As always, he moves back and forth between theory and clinical illustration with beautiful fluidity...All of the essays are fascinating. They are Winnicott in his shirtsleeves, and together they provide a unique supplement to our knowledge about a man who was a major contributor to psychoanalysis. (Sydney E. Pulver, M.D. Psychoanalytic Books)

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0674720911
• ISBN 13: 9780674720916
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 618
• Editor: Winnicott Clare, Sheperd Ray, Davis Madeleine