
143: Winnicott: Creativity and Subjectivity, Part I
From Ordinary Unhappiness by Patrick & Abby
May 9, 2026 · 1h 40m · Episode 143
About this episode
The episode discusses Donald Winnicott's theories on creativity and subjectivity, focusing on his paper about transitional objects in infant development.
Taking a breather from our moment’s unrelentingly grim headlines, Abby, Patrick, and Dan return to a favorite analytic thinker – Donald Winnicott (1896-1971) – and begin the first of a two-part episode on one of his most famous papers, “Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena” (1951/1953). Winnicott’s ostensible subject here is infantile development, and specifically the attachment very young children frequently develop towards a particularly favored object, whether that be a blanket,...
People in this episode
Hosts: Abby, Patrick
Guest: Dan
Topics covered
- creativity
- subjectivity
- infantile development
- transitional objects
- psychology
- Winnicott
Keywords
- Winnicott
- creativity
- subjectivity
- transitional objects
- infant development
- psychology
- attachment
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena
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