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This is a compendium of previously unpublished or hard to find essays compiled and edited by Winnicott's wife Claire and his colleagues Ray Shepherd and Madeleine Davis. Published posthumously, this book confirms Winnicott's reputation as the most sensitive, sensible and articulate spokesman for the ego psychology and object relations schools of psychoanalysis.
Some essays are from lectures originally addressed to various professional and social organizations, others are philosophical, or clinical ideas that he felt needed further clarification. Each essay is a brief gem of psychoanalytic thinking about an aspect of human development, mental functioning, or the social nature of man. Winnicott has a reassuring knack for making readers feel that it is all right to be human, in spite of our frailties in our roles as parents, therapists, etc. His concept of the “good enough mother” has relieved many a parent and therapist from the onus of having to do everything perfectly. Here he goes even further with his optimistic view of human nature by describing depression and delinquency in a positive light. He asserts that depression is an achievement of emotional growth, a sign of ego strength. Delinquency is viewed as a sign of hope in an adolescent. It usually occurs when an adolescent sees a possibility for security in his life and is able to feel safe enough to express his aggressive feelings.
While these ideas are familiar to readers of Winnicott, a number of other essays in the book attempt to answer larger, philosophical questions that were heretofore unaddressed in his published work. He writes about the relationship between psy