Donald Winnicott

About the author

Donald Woods Winnicott (1896–1971) was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst whose work proved foundational to object relations theory and developmental psychology. A leading figure in the British Independent Group of the British Psychoanalytical Society, he served twice as its President. He is best known for concepts that reshaped thinking about child development: the true and false self, the "good enough" parent, and the transitional object, the last developed in close collaboration with his second wife, Clare.

His output included the book Playing and Reality and more than 200 papers.