REVIEW ARTICLE pISSN 1225-729X / eISSN 2233-9183

J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022;33(4):84-90

https://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.220022

Understanding of Holding Environment Through

the Trajectory of Donald Woods Winnicott
Geon Ho Bahn
Department of Psychiatry, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Personal life and achievements are the process and result of a person’s past, present, and future interacting with each other. In this re-
gard, if one fully understands the life and background of the person who developed the theory of psychoanalysis, one can understand
and use the theory more appropriately. The holding environment theory developed by Donald Woods Winnicott is useful for under-
standing the process by which infants grow healthy under the care of a mother who is good enough. In this paper, the background of
the birth of the holding environment theory is reviewed based on Winnicott’s developmental background and marital life. He grew up
with a holding environment from good enough ‘multiple mothers’. Born with excellent athletic ability and musical talent, he was more
curious than anyone else and particularly active in discovering new things. After the unhappy first marriage, Claire Britton’s second mar-
riage was happy academically and personally. Claire was a fellow paediatric psychoanalyst who published Winnicott’s research and the-
ories after his death. Psychoanalysis or psychotherapy itself can be a holding environment, and the holding environment theory can be
applied to various fields in the digital era.

Keywords: Donald Winnicott; Clare Winnicott; Holding; Childhood; Containment; Social work; Karnac; Masud Khan;
Alice Winnicott; Piggle.
Received: August 6, 2022 / Revised: September 3, 2022 / Accepted: September 7, 2022
Address for correspondence: Geon Ho Bahn, Department of Psychiatry, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu,
Seoul 02447, Korea
Tel: +82-2-958-8556, Fax: +82-2-957-1997, E-mail: mompeian@khu.ac.kr

INTRODUCTION with his work, taking care of royal families in the palace. As
a college student, John learned that juvenile delinquents had
After Sigmund Freud, many analysts inherited and devel- a family problem. Bowlby hypothesised that the object of at-
oped the theory of psychoanalysis and created their own tachment would play an important role in the adolescent’s
theory, which differentiated them from the classical theory deviation and devoted his life to prove it [2].
of psychoanalysis. When one reads analysts’ (auto)biogra- Has Donald Woods Winnicott’s childhood experience also
phies, one sometimes finds a dynamic in which the analyst affected his background of attending medical school, ma-
creates or focuses on a particular theory. In the case of Mar- joring in paediatrics and becoming Britain’s first male pae-
garet Mahler, who established the theory of separation and diatric psychoanalyst? Is the trajectory of his personal life
individuation, her mother openly disliked young Margaret related to the background of theories such as holding envi-
and favoured her younger sister. Mahler’s father, a local phy- ronment and good enough mothering? In this paper, Win-
sician, valued her genius and academic excellence rather than nicott’s growth environment and marital life are expected
emotional communion. Mahler, who was unhappy with her to allow an in-depth understanding of holding environment
mother, must have keenly felt that the relationship between theory.
the baby and caregiver was important [1].
John Bowlby, a distinguished psychoanalyst, developed DONALD WOODS WINNICOTT’S
the attachment theory. When John was young, his nanny was CHILDHOOD
an important person who gave him affection because his
mother was more interested in social life than in raising chil- Donald Woods Winnicott was born on 7 April 1896 in Plym-
dren. Bowlby’s father, a British physician, was always busy outh, a port city in Devon, southwestern Britain, to Freder-
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons ick Winnicott (1855–1949) and Elizabeth Martha Woods
Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) Winnicott (1862–1925), and he had two elder sisters: Violet
which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (1889–1984) and Kathleen (1891–1987) [3].

84 Copyright ⓒ 2022 Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

 GH Bahn

Donald’s father expanded his business from his grandfa- made many good friends at school. Harold Stanley Ed, who
ther’s time and served as the mayor of Plymouth twice, in became a cultural and artistic historian, became a lifelong
1906–1907 and 1921–1922. Donald’s father and uncle devot- friend of his family. In school, he distinguished himself in
ed themselves to the development of the city, and their busi- various sports such as running, cycling, soccer, rugby, and
ness flourished. His father also worked hard in religious ac- swimming [4]; he also participated in school choirs and
tivities, including fundraising, to build a Wesleyan Methodist scouting activities. He also encountered Darwin’s theory of
Church in the city. Donald’s father received a knighthood evolution [4]. He was treated for a clavicular fracture during
from King George V in recognition of public welfare in 1924. exercise, which solidified his idea of becoming a doctor [6].
Donald’s mother was also born in Plymouth, and his mater- His musical talent was excellent enough to earn him a special
nal grandfather was a chemist and pharmacist [3]. award at the graduation ceremony, but he eventually went to
The Winnicott family lived in wealth in a large mansion medical school to become a doctor. Although well adapted to
surrounded by forests. Donald’s father was always busy with boarding school, the experience of always missing ‘multiple
the family business and municipal work. Interestingly, Don- mothers’ helped him understand and take care of children
ald had many women around him besides his mother: two who were separated from their parents during World War II [4].
older sisters, a governess, an aunt, a nanny, a maid, a cook In 1914, he attended Jesus College at Cambridge Univer-
and women from his uncle’s family, who lived across the sity, where he took preliminary medical courses in biology,
street. Young Donald called them ‘multiple mothers’ [3]. zoology, physiology, and anatomy, but he was not interested
Donald had a pleasant and happy childhood with multiple in those subjects. Instead, he enjoyed playing the piano and
mothers who took care of him. singing as a tenor as an out-of-school activity. His undergrad-
Contrary to his father’s desire to inherit the family busi- uate grades were poor. As World War I broke out, the build-
ness, Donald decided to become a doctor, probably because ings of Cambridge University were converted into temporary
of his depressed mother [4]. There was always a sense of military hospitals. Many of his friends fought in the war and
guilt, in that Donald tried to please his mother on behalf of were killed, but Winnicott was exempt from military service
his busy father but failed to succeed. Some argue that this in- because he was a medical student. In 1917, Winnicott volun-
fantile desire for salvation was the unconscious motive for teered to serve as a trainee for naval vessels, and at this time,
his first marriage [4]. he had access to many people from different socio-econom-
While Donald’s father was always busy, he used to walk ic classes. Shortly before the end of the war, he left the navy
and talk with his youngest, Donald, when they returned home and began St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School in No-
from church on Sundays [5]. One day, Donald asked his fa- vember 1917. He dated many women during a medical stu-
ther about religion. His father advised him to read the Bible dent and enjoyed watching opera, singing, dancing, and
and not to believe it as it is, but to listen to his own heart. These sports [4].
teachings would have influenced Donald to become an un- After graduating from medical school in 1920, he received
fettered leading figure of the independent group during con- the doctor’s license and continued working at St. Bartholomew’s
flict and division within the British Psycho-Analytical Soci- Hospital. Although he wanted to work with the mind, he ma-
ety (PBAS) in the future [5]. jored in paediatrics rather than in psychiatry or neurology.
From 1923, he began working as a paediatrician at Padding-
BOARDING SCHOOL AND ton Green Children’s Hospital, where he remained until his
JESUS COLLEGE retirement in 1963. In 1924, he opened a private clinic on Wey-
mouth Street [4]. Over the years, Winnicott has worked as a
Donald sometimes acted grumpy as he grew up, but an psychoanalytic paediatric psychiatrist rather than as a pae-
incident significant enough to make a difference in life oc- diatrician [7].
curred at the age of 12 when he used profanity. The father
seemed shocked by this and blamed his mother for not at- WINNICOTT AS AN ADULT
tending to the bad influence of his peer group [5]. At 13, Don-
ald left home for the Leys School–a boarding school for boys Winnicott had blue eyes and was approximately 170 cm
with Methodist pastors–according to his father’s wishes. tall with a thin waist and a slightly larger head; thus, his col-
This incident later became an opportunity for Donald to be leagues called him ‘pixie’–a small, human-like goblin fairy
interested in the impact of the suspension of the ‘holding’ with pointed ears that was usually placed in the garden [8].
environment’s continuity on the life of the child. Although he liked sports, his voice sounded high-pitched
In September 1910, he began his career as a fifth grader. He since he was young, perhaps because he had had many wom-

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Holding Environment and Donald Woods Winnicott

en around him during his youth. After becoming a physi- ic book he read was the English version of The Psychoanalyt-
cian, he frequently appeared on BBC Radio, and listeners ic Method, published in 1915, which had been originally pub-
sent letters to ‘Mrs. Winnicott.’ He called Harry, the owner lished by Swiss psychoanalyst Oskar Robert Pfister in 1913
of the Karnak bookstore he was close to and said, ‘Hello?’ in [4]. In 1919, Winnicott read the English version of The Inter-
a high-pitched voice, and Harry replied, ‘How may I help you, pretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud. Winnicott had planned
ma’am?’ [4]. Winnicott broadcasted about 50 times from to be a country doctor after receiving medical qualifications;
1939 to 1962 on the BBC on various topics such as the only however, when he read books about psychoanalysis, a major
child, the psychology of step-parents and the role of jealousy change occurred in his life [4].
[4]. He preferred whisky and enjoyed smoking. He was also Although married in 1923, Winnicott faced difficulties from
interested in gardening [3]. the beginning of his marriage. He decided to undergo psy-
He worked a great deal all his life, but at the same time, he choanalytic treatment to overcome personal difficulties [4]
enjoyed his leisure time, especially after his second marriage. and visited Ernest Jones, the dean of psychoanalysis in Brit-
Various hobbies may have played a role in the reason for en- ain. Although no specific ‘personal difficulty’ is ascertained,
joying leisure. During his break from treating patients, he some of these ‘difficulties’ are known to be psychosexual con-
ran into a room with a piano, played excitedly and returned flicts [8]. Ernest Jones referred Winnicott to James Beaumont
to the clinic. He enjoyed a variety of music genres–from clas- Strachey, with whom he underwent treatment six times a
sical music such as Bach and Beethoven to the Beatles. Just as week from Monday to Saturday for a decade, from 1924 to
he gained theory with an open mind in the academic realm, 1933. The 10-year treatment period is highly exceptional,
his taste in music was also varied [4]. even by today’s standards [4]. In 1927, Winnicott was en-
His reading range was wide, and he also memorised his rolled as a training candidate at the Institute of Psychoanal-
favourite poems and read autobiographies of various char- ysis in London.
acters. In particular, he used to stop by Karnak Books every After a decade of treatment with Strachey, he received su-
Saturday morning to buy books. Winnicott’s answer was in- pervision on adult cases from Nina Searl and Ella Freeman
teresting, when Harry asked how to read books quickly. When Sharpe and on paediatric cases from Melanie Klein, Melitta
he read autobiographies, he often finished reading the first Schmidberg, and Nina Searl [5]. He qualified as an adult psy-
chapter, and he only read biographies until the characters choanalyst in 1934 and became the first male paediatric psy-
were four or five years old. His reading habits reflect the at- choanalyst in Britain in 1935. At the end of 1935, he present-
titude of a paediatric psychoanalyst [4]. ed his membership paper ‘The Manic Defence’ and became
Harry Karnac (1919–2014) was the founder of Karnac Books, a full member of the BPAS [4]. From 1933 to 1938, he received
where Winnicott used to go. In 1950, Karnak opened a small additional analysis from Joan Riviere. In 1940, he was ap-
bookstore in London, selling various books such as novels, pointed a training analyst at the Institute of Psychoanalysis.
biographies, and books related to gardening. One day, Clif- Melanie Klein designated Winnicott as one of five training
ford Scott, a psychoanalyst who had an office nearby, stopped analysts at the Klein School of British Psychoanalysis [7].
by the bookstore and recommended publishing Winnicott’s Later, at a time when Anna Freud and Melanie Klein were
book about psychoanalysis. Although Karnac had no knowl- divided into two factions within the psychoanalytical soci-
edge of psychoanalysis at the time, he was willing to publish ety, Winnicott, and his confreres–Michael Balint, John Bowl-
the book, and it sold well thanks to the popularity of Winn- by, Charles Rycroft, Margaret Little, Marion Milner, and Ma-
icott, who broadcast on BBC Radio. Karnak published other sud Khan–banded to form a ‘Middle Group’ [4], which walked
psychoanalysts’ books as well as Winnicott’s books. On a Sat- a different line from the Kleinians and Freudians. Winnicott
urday, after working at the Paddington Green Children’s Hos- was elected as the president of the BPAS twice, in 1956–1959
pital, Winnicott stopped by Karnac’s bookstore and chatted and 1965–1968 [6].
with Harry for hours. Occasionally, Clare, Winnicott’s wife, As an analyst, he was eccentric, but humour and modesty
called the bookstore and asked Harry to send her husband were his hallmarks [3]. On 22 July 1969, BPAS’s academic con-
home [3]. ference programme was designed to guide young psychoan-
alysts; however, a 73-year-old Winnicott asked Ishak Ramsy,
THE PATH OF A PAEDIATRIC a young American analyst, to supervise him. On the morn-
PSYCHOANALYST ing of the conference, Winnicott handed Ramsy a summary
of the case. All large terraced lecture halls were filled, and
During medical school, Winnicott had the opportunity to some people even listened, standing up. A case presented by
encounter the field of psychoanalysis. The first psychoanalyt- Winnicott was a girl named Gabrielle, who started treatment

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at the age of 2 years and 4 months and was treated 16 times grew older, she studied physics, astronomy, geoscience, chem-
in 2 years and 8 months [9]. This case, published after Win- istry, and biology at Newnham College, Cambridge Univer-
nicott’s death under the title of ‘Piggle’, has sparked contro- sity (1912–1915). After graduation, she studied optical glass
versy over whether the treatment being conducted ‘when re- and ceramics while working at the National Physical Labo-
quested’ is psychoanalysis. ratory in Teddington for 5 years (1916–1920) [16]. She was the
Although he was an outstanding psychoanalyst, he did not only female researcher at the time. After leaving the insti-
designate an official successor to continue his studies and tute, she took the path of a painter, sculptress, and ceramic
achievements. Most of the papers he published had only one craftswoman, which she continued following throughout
author, namely Winnicott himself. To the best of my knowl- her life [4].
edge, he has published only four papers as co-authors in his In July 1923, she married Winnicott, who was 4 years young-
lifetime: ‘The problem of homeless children [10]’ and ‘Resi- er. She would be an ideal bride–at least on the surface–as
dential management as treatment for different children [11]’, she was skilled in both science and the arts and was an ex-
published before his marriage to his second wife Claire; a pa- cellent painter and potter [16]. Some argue that Winnicott’s
per published with a colleague in the early days of his career illusion of salvation for his mother, known to have suffered
as a paediatrician [12]; and a book review written with Ma- from depression, was the driving force behind their marriage
sud Khan, his analysand and colleague [13]. [4]. Alice had delusions and hallucinations, and Winnicott
Although Khan was not Winnicott’s successor, it is well referred his wife to Dr Clifford Scott for psychoanalysis; the
known that he helped Winnicott for a long time as an aman- contents of this treatment, however, are unknown. Dr Scott
uensis [14]. Khan was an active participant in organising and later analysed Winnicott’s second wife, Claire Winnicott.
compiling Winnicott’s theories and arguments. Despite be- During his marriage to Alice, Winnicott had learnt a lot about
ing between an analyst and an analysand, the special rela- the symptoms of a psychotic patient through Alice, and be-
tionship between Khan and Winnicott would be analytical cause of her, he often stayed at the hospital and worked there
coverage; however, some have suggested that Winnicott had rather than at home. Alice struggled with Winnicott’s sexu-
a negative influence on Khan [15]. As Khan was a particularly al problems and deliberate disregard. After all, their marriage
important person in Winnicott’s life as well as in his published was not happy until they divorced in 1951 [16].
materials, I briefly introduce him. Khan was born in 1924 in Even after Alice divorced Winnicott, Winnicott’s sisters con-
India as the youngest lord, where he completed his college tinued to send gifts on Alice’s birthday [4]. Alice moved to a
education. In 1946, he began his psychoanalytic treatment farm in Cardiganshire, Wales, in 1961 and worked as a paint-
in Great Britain and received case supervision from Melanie er. She missed her marriage to Winnicott in Plymouth and
Klein and Anna Freud, as well as supervision for child cases died on 19 November 1969.
from Donald Winnicott, Marion Milner, and Clifford Scott.
Khan received analytical treatment from Winnicott between SECOND MARRIAGE (1951–1971):
1951 and 1966. In 1952, he became the first Asian to qualify CLARE WINNICOTT
as a paediatric psychoanalyst, and in 1959, he became a train-
ing analyst; however, he was disqualified from the Ethics Clare Britton (1906–1984) was born the eldest of four chil-
Committee of the BPAS in June 1988 due to affairs with wom- dren and her father was a Baptist minister. Clare’s mother
en analysands and negative influences on the psychoanalyt- was the first female butler in the church founded by her hus-
ical community, such as publishing a book containing inap- band. Clare’s passion for helping those in need and excellent
propriate content [15]. communication skills are talents inherited from her par-
ents. She was recognised as a gifted student in various cur-
THE FIRST MARRIAGE (1923–1949): ricula [3].
ALICE WINNICOTT In 1940, she completed a 13-month mental health course
at the London School of Economics [3], where she was also
Less is known about Winnicott’s first wife, Alice Buxton an excellent student. After completing this course, most of
Taylor (1891–1969). She was born the second of two sons and her classmates were employed in mental hospitals or clinics.
three daughters. Her father, John Taylor, was an extremely Claire chose a wartime evacuation hostel where she could
distinguished gynaecological surgeon and professor at the work as an active spirit and social worker. During World War
University of Birmingham, England. Her mother, Florence II, more than six million British urban residents were evac-
Maberly Taylor, had worked as a teacher before marriage [16]. uated to the suburbs due to German airstrikes in London.
As a child, her mother taught her children at home. As she Men were drafted into the army, women were placed in fac-

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Holding Environment and Donald Woods Winnicott

tories, and children were housed separately from their par- In addition to the concept of holding, there is an anecdote
ents. Clare’s job was to take care of about 80 children in five about Winnicott’s copyright concept for transitional objects.
evacuation hostels in Oxfordshire. She had been working Winnicott sent a letter to Charles Schultz (1922–2000), an
there since 1941 and met Dr Winnicott, a paediatrician who American illustrator, asking whether Linus’s blanket in a
came to provide medical aid and supervised every Friday [3]. Snoopy cartoon was an idea developed from Winnicott’s con-
Their work would be the main resource of the Curtis Report, cept of the transitional object. Schultz simply replied, ‘Dear
along with the report on the Hampstead Nurseries by Doro- Dr Winnicott, I’ve never heard of you or a transitional sub-
thy Burlingham and Anna Freud during World War II and ject’. Claire called the transitional object ‘the first treasured
John Bowlby’s report on radical children at Cambridge. The possession’ in her lecture or writing [8].
Curtis Report was reflected in the enactment of the Children Claire was the first British psychoanalyst to become a so-
Act of 1948, which incorporated child service programmes [7]. cial worker in the twentieth century. Even after Winnicott
Based on their experience in caring for evacuated chil- passed away, she conducted active education and research
dren, Clare and Winnicott wrote two papers. As the meeting on child advocacy. In 1982, she established the Squiggle Foun-
period lengthened, the relationship between the two devel- dation to study and disseminate Winnicott’s work [7]. She
oped from collaboration as experts into a romantic relation- died of melanoma on 17 April 1984 [3]. In honour of her
ship [16]. Winnicott was reluctant to divorce Alice while his achievements, the Group for the Advancement of Psycho-
father was alive. On 31 December 1948, after his father died dynamics and Psychotherapy in Social Work (GAPS) estab-
at the age of 93 years, he began to live apart from his wife. This lished the Clare Winnicott Essay Awards in 1986, and the
was a stressful time, and in 1949, he had his first heart attack. winner’s work was published in the Journal of Social Work
Divorce proceedings were not smooth, and on 5 September Practice [3].
1950, a second heart attack occurred. The divorce process
was completed on 11 December 1951, and he married Claire HOLDING ENVIRONMENT
on 28 December of the same year [16]. Although their rela-
tionship had many romantic aspects, Claire was aware of the The means by which a new born baby can inform its moth-
importance of providing a holding environment for her busy er of its condition is mainly crying. Babies cry when they feel
husband. Claire once told a colleague how necessary it was hungry, sick, sleepy, tired, or uncomfortable. The mother’s
to set up a meal at 7:00 pm every evening [8]. parenting, which meets and solves the baby’s needs, is almost
In Claire’s report [8], Winnicott was a man of great vitali- consistent with Winnicott’s concept of holding or Bion’s con-
ty, with the ability to plunge into and enjoy something, and tainment [17]. The meaning of the holding environment is
she said she would never see anyone enjoy anything more to allow a mother to hold infants well and to develop confi-
than him. In Claire’s memory, Winnicott tried anything if he dence and the ability of the child to eventually become inde-
was curious and was the most spontaneous person. pendent by quickly recognising and solving the baby’s needs
In 1949, Clifford Scott began psychoanalytic treatment of [18]. By repeating these experiences, the baby internalises the
Clare. After Dr Scott returned to Canada, Clare was analysed mother’s holding capacity and develops self-regulation in
by Melanie Klein [16]; however, she was disappointed with stressful situations [19]. Winnicott classified infants’ depen-
Klein’s theory of emphasising the negative aspects of chil- dence in the holding phase into the following stages: abso-
dren’s mental health [3], and they drifted apart due to her lute, relative, and independence [20].
dissatisfaction with Klein’s theory. Clare then qualified as a Some analysts argue that holding is a broader concept than
psychoanalyst in 1961. Bion’s containment [21] because the latter refers to the role of
One of Claire’s great achievements is the incorporation of a mother in controlling the situation that cannot be managed
psychoanalysis into social work, and one of Winnicott’s achieve- by the baby such as problem solving, but the former encom-
ments is the incorporation of social work concepts into psy- passes all mother-baby relationships. However, it can also be
choanalysis [8]. As the two lived as a couple and influenced argued that containing may have a broader meaning because
each other, it is difficult to apply copyright concepts to any it involves more involuntary interactions between the moth-
term or concept. Unlike Winnicott, Claire felt no satisfaction er and baby [22]. While holding explores a more conscious
with the creation of jargon; instead, she stressed the need for level of the baby’s condition, containing allows projective
a common language that is easy for experts in various fields identification and unconscious projection from the baby [7].
to understand and through which to communicate. The same From Claire’s point of view as a paediatric social worker,
is true of ‘holding’, one of the concepts representing Winn- the medium or environment that was properly provided at
icott; later, people argued over who had used it first. the right time and place was important [8]. It is ‘holding’ to

88
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remember information about the client, and it is also ‘hold- CONCLUSIONS

ing’ to embrace the client until they endure their problems
and find solutions with social workers. Accepting the client’s Winnicott grew up being loved by multiple mothers, in-
request itself is ‘holding’, and the therapist’s role in psycho- cluding two older sisters and several women who helped
analysis or psychotherapy would be ‘holding’. In other words, with the housework. He was an all-around athlete, had ex-
receptive environments, such as holding and containing, can cellent musical talent, and was able to inherit his father’s busi-
be reproduced through psychotherapy or psychoanalysis. ness; however, his infantile fantasies to save his mother, who
The characteristics of non-specific and supportive continu- was believed to have suffered from depression, made him a
ity provided by treatment situations that is, regular visits, doctor and led him to psychoanalysis. After ending his 25-
coming and going rituals, empathy, consistent expression year marriage, he remarried Claire, with whom he had a bond
and constancy of analyst office space, act as a metaphorical as an expert and spent his entire life as partner in psycho-
holding environment that can help resolve confusion or cha- analysis. He had the ability to live life to the best of his abili-
os during treatment [23]. Just as the baby grows healthy through ty, absorbing new experiences and incorporating them into
a mother who is good enough, patients can develop their his personality structure in a special way. Growing up well-
ability to handle their problems through reflective func- loved, Winnicott became a good enough paediatric psycho-
tions, such as holding or containing, from the therapist. analyst to hold sick children.
It is possible to form a consensus with patients or clients
Availability of Data and Material
by maintaining the holding environment in the therapy ses-
The datasets generated or analyzed during the study are available
sion. However, it is necessary not to confuse the concept of a
from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
proper holding environment with the empathy, response, and
attitude that analysts show about patient symptoms. From Conflicts of Interest
psychoanalyst Jang’s case vignette, the therapist tried to un- The author has no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
derstand the female patient, who had conflicts with her moth- ORCID iD
er and thought it to be a holding, from the mother’s point of Geon Ho Bahn https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3550-0422
view [24]. Despite the analyst’s efforts, the patient’s symp-
Funding Statement
toms worsened; this can be seen as a failure of proper hold-
None
ing because the analyst attempted to ‘create a holding envi-
ronment in reality’ [25]. Acknowledgments
The concept of holding is not only a theory of psychoanal- This article contains the theme of ‘Donald Winnicott and Hold-
ysis but it has also been expanded and applied in various ing Environment’ during the online conference titled “Major con-
fields. Programmes in which children empathise with their cepts in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and its clinical implications”
hosted by the Korean Association of Psycho-Analysis in 28 October,
friends’ feelings in school sites and develop skills and power
2022.
to control themselves are also based on the holding environ-
ment theory [26]. A ‘virtual holding environment’ using dig- REFERENCES
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