What is the holding environment Winnicott?

1. in the object relations theory of British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott (1896–1971), that aspect of the mother experienced by the infant as the environment that literally—and figuratively, by demonstrating highly focused attention and concern—holds him or her comfortingly during calm states.

What is a holding environment and why are holding environments important to the adaptive leadership process?

A “holding environment “ is a psychological space that is both safe and uncomfortable. Concretely, a holding environment is uncomfortable enough that a person cannot avoid the problem (the change), but safe enough that the person can experiment with a new way of being.

Who came up with the holding environment?

The concept of the therapeutic “holding environment” was developed in the mid-20th Century by the British psychoanalyst and pediatrician, Donald Winnicott, who was a member of the Independent Group of the British Object Relations school of thought in England.

What is Winnicott theory?

Winnicott believed that healthy development was reliant on aspects of care. The mother’s ‘holding’ of the infant meant that the immature ego’s sense of what Winnicott called ‘going-on-being’ was not disturbed to a degree greater than the infant could tolerate.

Why is the holding environment important?

If the environment is a good holding environment, it makes you feel taken care of, protected, understood, loved, and held in such a way that your consciousness – which at the beginning is unformed, fluid, and changeable – can grow spontaneously and naturally on its own.

What did Donald Winnicott believe?

He believed that the false self was a mannerly, orderly, external self that enabled a person to fit into society. The true self, however, is the only self capable of creativity, and play helps a person develop this true self.