Winnicott, Donald

Winnicott, Donald, 1896–1971, British psychoanalyst, pediatrician, and child psychiatrist. He worked at the Paddington Green Children's Hospital in London for over 40 years, beginning in 1923, where he became interested in child psychoanalysis. In this pursuit, he was influenced greatly by the work of Melanie Klein. Winnicott had a major impact on object relations theory, particularly in his 1951 essay “Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena,” which focused on familiar, inanimate objects that children use to stave off anxiety during times of stress.

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