Winnicott in New York: an example of incommunicability

Abstract

This article is a critical commentary of the scientific meeting organized on the November 12th, 1968, by the New York Psychoanalytic Society, during which Winnicott presented a paper entitled "The Use of an Object", which was followed by a discussion with four members of the Society. The report on this meeting is contained in the Acts written by David Milrod. After making brief considerations on the circumstances in which the debate was held, we present the central elements of Winnicott´s contribution as well as an analyses of objections raised against it. Keywords: Winnicott, Object-relating, Subjective object, Use of an object, Destructivity.