The illusion of contact: Insights from Winnicott’s 1952 letter to Klein

Abstract

Using Winnicott's theory, the article produces an account of the individual's relation to a given conceptual framework. Whereas Winnicott's ideas have been almost exclusively discussed in developmental and psychopathological contexts, the present article extends Winnicott's theory and applies it to the problem of interpersonal understanding. Taking lead from one of Winnicott's letters to Klein, the article investigates the problem of expressing one's idiosyncratic insights in the confines of a given conceptual framework. The article examines Winnicott's theory of compliance and creativity, discusses the plea that Winnicott makes to Klein, analyses the encounter with a "dead language", and investigates the asymmetric structure of interpersonal understanding. Cashing out the latter in terms of an "illusion of contact", the article enhances our interpretation of the successes and shortcomings of interpersonal encounters -both in everyday life, in clinical settings, and in the historical community of researchers. By focusing on the lastly mentioned in particular, the article brings forth neglected aspects of Winnicott's thinking and uses these to assess the conditions of an open dialogue within the psychoanalytic community.

Caught on the surface: Tustin on autistic experience

“…In Winnicott’s terms, the hungry infant attempts to “create” (e.g., Winnicott, 1971 , 15; cf. Taipale, 2021b , 33ff) the feeding situation, and thereby increasingly functions as a whole : the “bits and pieces” are thus gathered together, and there is, for a short moment, “a self to be aware” (cf. Winnicott, 1958 , 98; Winnicott, 1988 , 117; Winnicott, 1996 , 25).…”

“…Whereas sensation shapes and sensation objects, much like Winnicottian “subjective objects,” commonly function as kinds of vitalizing points of reference, that nourish our experiences of the shared environment, and thus convey the latter with a personal significance ( Winnicott, 1965 , 187; Ogden, 1991 ; Taipale, 2021b ), in autism, the subjective “feel” no longer serves as such a pathway—instead, it gains a focal status per se , which complicates the individual’s experience of environment. Along with what could be called a collapse of intentional depth , the autistic individual is caught on the surface.…”

‘Here quietude is linked with stillness’: Winnicott's Silent Core of the Self and Aesthetic Experience

“…As Ogden (2001) notes while exploring an early paper by Winnicott, his writing is 'extraordinarily resistant to paraphrase' (p. 299). It was important to Winnicott to create his own idiosyncratic language (see Taipale, 2021), and re-creating this language poses a challenge. Grossman (2017) expresses suspicion whether Winnicott's non-elaborative style really is useful to the reader or whether he merely refuses to engage in an open and reciprocal interaction.…”

“…As Ogden (2001) notes while exploring an early paper by Winnicott, his writing is ‘extraordinarily resistant to paraphrase’ (p. 299). It was important to Winnicott to create his own idiosyncratic language (see Taipale, 2021), and re‐creating this language poses a challenge.…”