The Language of Winnicott: A Dictionary and Guide to Understanding His Work - Hardcover

Abram, Jan; Karnac, Harry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1568217005 ISBN 13: 9781568217000

Publisher: Jason Aronson Inc, 1997

Synopsis

D. W. Winnicott has profoundly influenced contemporary psychology, psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis. His 600-plus papers offer a unique compass to the psychotherapeutic process and child development. However, Winnicott's sometimes elliptical and metaphoric use of language can make his ideas indecipherable, his writings appear simple or opaque. This new book helps us read and understand Winnicott in all of his richness. Each of his major ideas is organized into a lexicon of words and phrases which represent the major theories in his work. Each entry is a journey through his papers that clearly illuminates the breadth and depth of his concepts. The result is an invaluable guide to this clinical genius and his seminal theory.

About this title

About the Author

Jan Abram is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in London. She was appointed Director of The Squiggle Foundation for the period 1996 - 2000, and is also following the analytic training at the Institute of Psycho-Analysis, London.

Review

This book fills a gap in the literature. What Laplanche and Pontalis have done for Freud, and Hinshelwood for Klein, has now been rendered by Jan Abram for Winnicott, undoubtedly one of the greats of modern day psychoanalysis. Judy Cooper, British Journal of Psychotherapy Jan Abram has given us a gem of a book. It is clearly the result of many years studying, discussing, and teaching. Jennifer M. Bonovitz, Psychoanalytic Books Abram's extremely helpful and lively guide includes a complete bibliography (compiled by Harry Karnac, publisher and friend of Winnicott and the London analytic community), arranged both alphabetically and chronologically from 1919 to 1989. Given Winnicott's productivity including his many talks, letters, and broadcasts as well as books and papers as purveyors of his ideas, the compilation is highly valuable to scholars. R. H. Balsam, Yale University, in CHOICE This is a scholarly piece of work and should be on the bookshelf of all readers of psychoanalysis. Jeanette Beaufoy, Australian Journal of Psychotherapy There are many works on Winnicott. The originality of this one is that it is as close to an encyclopedia. People often use - in fact misuse - Winnicott's expressions inappropriately (I.e. false self), or sometimes they wrongly attribute to Winnicott's interpretations of ordinary concepts of psychoanalysis (I.e. sexuality). Thanks to Jan Abram, this will not pass unnoticed any more. Andre Green

Edition details

• Publisher: Jason Aronson Inc
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1568217005
• ISBN 13: 9781568217000
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 378