Nursery World - Learning & Development: Early Years Pioneers

Continuing our series on early years pioneers, Margaret Boyle Spelman explains some of the main theories of Donald Woods Winnicott, focusing on the relationship between mother and child

Donald Woods Winnicott (1896-1971) never joined any group and eschewed a following of his own, privileging instead the idea of independence of thought. Nevertheless, he is considered to be the most prominent figure embodying the ethos of what began as the ‘Middle Group’ of the British Psychoanalytic Society, now its School of Independent Associates. After Sigmund Freud’s death, this non-partisan group of psychoanalysts sprung up between the two groups, in dispute over who inherited Freud’s legacy; one headed by Anna Freud and the other by Melanie Klein.

Winnicott was a paediatrician, adult psychoanalyst, writer, broadcaster (with BBC radio) and first male child psychoanalyst in Britain. He was a motivated and engaging communicator (described as ‘better than The Beatles’) across a wide range of audiences, lay and professional, and was twice president of the British Psychoanalytic Society. An analyst’s analyst, Winnicott’s influence is very considerable.

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