winnicott, d.w. - selected essays
TRANSCRIPT
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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
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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
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
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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
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_
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esofTransferenc e
enalPreoc cupation
alTendenc y
dChildhoodNeurosis
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_
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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 .
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_
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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
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_
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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
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_
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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
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_
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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:
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_
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OU NT R TR A N F E R N C
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
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
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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
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_
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OU NT R TR A N F E R N C
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.
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
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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
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
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OU NT R TR A N F E R N C
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.
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_
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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.).
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
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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.
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
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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
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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
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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).
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BJ E CT A ND TRAN ITIONAL PH E NOM NA
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 .
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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
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
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BJ E CT A ND TRAN ITIONAL PH E NOM NA
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).
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
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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
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BJ E CT A ND TRAN ITIONAL PH E NOM NA
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.
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
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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
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
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BJ E CT A ND TRAN ITIONAL PH E NOM NA
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
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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
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