Abstract
This essay aims to critically analyse the development of the Winnicott-inspired psychoanalytical perspective that Axel Honneth includes in his theory of recognition. After a brief reconstruction of the psychological conception delineated in The Struggle for Recognition, I focus on Honneth’s research concerning the psychological roots of ‘disrespect’ and on his attempt at giving a psychoanalytical reinterpretation of the hegelian idea of «dialectical negativity». I then consider his later psychoanalytical essays, published between 2002 and 2006, where he delineates the individual psychological preconditions of democratic citizenship. In the conclusive part of my essay I argue for a greater consideration of the substantive preconditions implied by Honneth’s perspective on the psychological roots of democracy.
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