Waghorn, Gabriella; (2024) How can Winnicott’s Concept, ‘the Use of an Object’ Develop Understanding of the Psychoanalytic Concept of Narcissism? Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This research investigates how Winnicott’s (1969a) concept of ‘the use of an object’ can develop understanding of the psychoanalytic concept of narcissism. Winnicott (1969a) does not explicitly refer to narcissism within his paper, ‘The Use of an Object’ and explicit contributions to the understanding of narcissism from a Winnicottian perspective have so far been lacking. This thesis develops the argument that there is an implicit theory of narcissism within Winnicott’s paper and sets out the theory in explicit terms. The Winnicottian paradigm provides a contrasting framework for understanding the concept of narcissism in relation to other prominent British psychoanalytic schools including the Kleinian and Contemporary Freudians, and has the potential to enrich our understanding of the concept. Primary narcissism (Roussillon, 2010) is explored as the foundation upon which the concept of ‘the use of an object’ lies. A detailed critical reading of Winnicott’s (1969a) paper is presented alongside an exploration of Abram’s (2022) advance on Winnicott’s work with her concept of the ‘survival-of-the-object’, and dual concept of an intrapsychic ‘surviving object’ and ‘non-surviving object’ (Abram, 2003, 2005). The thesis investigates and makes explicit how these concepts develop our understanding of narcissism, and introduces two new concepts, ‘survival narcissism’ and ‘non-survival narcissism’. These notions enable direct discussion and exploration of the impact of an internal surviving object and non-surviving object (Abram, 2003, 2005) on an individual’s capacity to relate to their objects in a non-narcissistic way. The clinical implications of viewing narcissism through a Winnicottian lens are explored with a focus on these newly proposed concepts. Clinical case studies from Kleinian and Winnicottian literature are compared and contrasted. The results of this research provide the psychoanalytic community with a language to discuss and think about narcissism from a Winnicottian perspective.

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