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Boundary and Space: An Introduction to the Work of D.W. Winnicott
D.W. Winnicott - one of this centuries most important theorists - is the focus of the new edition of this extraordinary volume. Drawing extensively upon Winnicott's own papers and lectures, the main themes of his theory and personal development are revealed. His vast contributions to the understandings of the profound significance of infancy in the total life of human beings is brought to the foreground. And throughout, D.W. Winnicott - noted pediatrician and child analyst, revered teacher and theorist - shines through. Part I, The Background, discusses Winnicott's personal beliefs, and the evolution of his theory of emotional development. In Part II, The Theory of Emotional Development, his main themes are Basic Assumptions, Early Psychic Functioning, Adapting to Shared Reality, and The Environmental Provision. Part III, Boundary and Space , considers some of the implications of Winnicott's theory of the development for the individual, and for society. Boundary and Space provides for the first systemic presentation of D. W. Winnicott's developmental and clinical methodology.
- GenresPsychology
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 23, 2026
2026: In British academic colleges teaching therapist sand counselors, Winnicott and Melanie Klein are ten times more prominent and revered than in comparable US colleges. I know this having gone thru 13 US colleges for education psychology; and, having a friend for decades in London, UK who went thru UK child therapist training.
Therefore for US readers, a question will be, "What if anything, does Winnicott add to what we know in the US and how we teach therapists, especially child therapists?" The more meaningful this question is to you, the more meaningful this book will be.
Another useful question is, "What gaps if any does Winnicott fill in the US knowledge-base of counseling and psychotherapy?" As Jung was of little interest to him; and Waldrof infant-child developmental literature was uiknown to him, some eaders ill be able to guess the answer.
One answer is Winnicott, working out of only Freud, not even Jung, holds a focus on the first post-birth glimmers of what after puberty, adults will call the developing healthy Self. In this Winnicott has some things to add not often found in US authors or experts. In a 1950s manner, he gets at the preverbal forms of ego and independence, inner and outer psychic life, most US authors and psychologists skip over. For example, Internal Family Systems (IFS)--in my estimation, our current Best Practice in counseling and psychotherapy--has very little to say about the psychology of preverbal infants and toddlers. If you have clients whose trauma or deprivations go back before they were verbal, or before they were forced to give up their mother tongue and learn English-only, Winnicott may offer some Clear Therapeutic Directions.
I'm not expert enuf on Winnicott to say a lot more. The book appears to be at its best paraphrasing Winnicott. The actual quotes from him are too often opaque and obscure in the extreme.
My last comment looks back on Winnicott from the view of Holistic Psychology 2.0 (1975-2005). From the perspective of HP 2.0, many more elegant, coherent, accessible and efficient models for psychic processes exist. One example is IFS; another is, Tim Gallways, Two Games of Life the Inner Game of Life and the Outer Game of Life.
Looking back on Winnicott, it's very clear he was mostly about pathology. Unless I was reading the book too superficially, he was not much interested in describing the healthy psychology and development of the very young child. As some readers will know, premier in this vein is Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) child developmental literature and Waldorf education curriculum literature. In HP 2.0, Waldorf child developmental literature can and does take the place of most of Winnicott. Waldorf language, ideas and focus on health, less so on pathology makes its literature more accessible in language and applicable for teachers, counselors, therapists. Comments invited.
Therefore for US readers, a question will be, "What if anything, does Winnicott add to what we know in the US and how we teach therapists, especially child therapists?" The more meaningful this question is to you, the more meaningful this book will be.
Another useful question is, "What gaps if any does Winnicott fill in the US knowledge-base of counseling and psychotherapy?" As Jung was of little interest to him; and Waldrof infant-child developmental literature was uiknown to him, some eaders ill be able to guess the answer.
One answer is Winnicott, working out of only Freud, not even Jung, holds a focus on the first post-birth glimmers of what after puberty, adults will call the developing healthy Self. In this Winnicott has some things to add not often found in US authors or experts. In a 1950s manner, he gets at the preverbal forms of ego and independence, inner and outer psychic life, most US authors and psychologists skip over. For example, Internal Family Systems (IFS)--in my estimation, our current Best Practice in counseling and psychotherapy--has very little to say about the psychology of preverbal infants and toddlers. If you have clients whose trauma or deprivations go back before they were verbal, or before they were forced to give up their mother tongue and learn English-only, Winnicott may offer some Clear Therapeutic Directions.
I'm not expert enuf on Winnicott to say a lot more. The book appears to be at its best paraphrasing Winnicott. The actual quotes from him are too often opaque and obscure in the extreme.
My last comment looks back on Winnicott from the view of Holistic Psychology 2.0 (1975-2005). From the perspective of HP 2.0, many more elegant, coherent, accessible and efficient models for psychic processes exist. One example is IFS; another is, Tim Gallways, Two Games of Life the Inner Game of Life and the Outer Game of Life.
Looking back on Winnicott, it's very clear he was mostly about pathology. Unless I was reading the book too superficially, he was not much interested in describing the healthy psychology and development of the very young child. As some readers will know, premier in this vein is Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) child developmental literature and Waldorf education curriculum literature. In HP 2.0, Waldorf child developmental literature can and does take the place of most of Winnicott. Waldorf language, ideas and focus on health, less so on pathology makes its literature more accessible in language and applicable for teachers, counselors, therapists. Comments invited.
June 25, 2022
I read this to glean some more information about the objective and subjective distinction formation of the human mind. It is a good primer for Winnicott's work, as it gives a good quick summary of his main points of view and perspective on life and human psychology in general and was written by a society of people who are there to keep his work available to the public. Interesting to me personally for learning more about Winnicott's concepts of transitional object and transitional phenomena. Recommended for anyone embarking on a perusal through his later works, as I intend on doing so in the near future.
February 19, 2015
I think everything I need to know in life is in Winnicott. I am tempted to rate this book less highly because it is not actually Winnicott, it is only a secondary source-- but then, that's exactly what it claims to be.
For weeks I've been thinking about the idea of outside/inside, which I got from this book. That we think of our truest, most essential selves as being "inside," and that the psychic self coincides with the physical self. It really explains for me why I felt so violated when I had to get a tooth pulled last year; I had agreed to the removal of the rotten tooth, but still, the invasion of my person was not okay with me.
For weeks I've been thinking about the idea of outside/inside, which I got from this book. That we think of our truest, most essential selves as being "inside," and that the psychic self coincides with the physical self. It really explains for me why I felt so violated when I had to get a tooth pulled last year; I had agreed to the removal of the rotten tooth, but still, the invasion of my person was not okay with me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews