The Place and Play of Theory in Practice: A Winnicottian Perspective

The Independent Tradition has emerged as an important force in contemporary psychoanalysis and social thought and psychotherapists are increasingly familiar with the developmental perspectives that have distinguished the contributions of the Middle Group in Great Britain. Thus far, however, there has been remarkably little consideration of the ways in which the perspectives of the Independent Tradition enlarge our understanding of the functions and uses of theory in therapeutic practice. This article focuses on the developmental contributions of D.W. Winnicott and shows how his formulations of transitional phenomena, potential space, object use, and true self experience offer ways of imagining the “place” or location of theory in the clinical situation and means of conceptualizing the “play” or functions of theory in the therapeutic practice. In doing so, it describes recent elaborations of Winnicott's theory by Christopher Bollas and Kenneth Wright. The author argues that the example of the Independent Tradition provides useful lines of understanding in continuing efforts to develop a basis for theoretical pluralism and comparative approaches in contemporary psychoanalysis and clinical social work practice.