Separation with the Help of an Object in the Works of Freud, Piaget, and Winnicott

Abstract

The process of acquisition the "object constancy" and reaching separation, which is important for the "going on being", will be discussed in the present article. Three classical theories will be presented: Freud, Piaget and Winnicott. These three central, different and not so different theories illustrate how a child copes with separation by help of an object. The case description illustrates the difficulty of trusting in the existence of object constancy and its influence on the separation process following thereof.

Key Words: object constancy, separation, transitional object, transitional Phenomena