Review of Attachment, play, and authenticity: A Winnicott primer.

Abstract

Reviews the book, Attachment, play, and authenticity: A Winnicott primer by Steven Tuber (see record 2008-04633-000). In this book, Tuber does not attempt to offer a comprehensive review of Winnicott's work. Rather, he focuses on what he sees as Winnicott's most central concepts, offering close examination of a few articles that he feels best represent each of these concepts, and frames each with the noting of a central dilemma or paradox. Tuber describes the book as an attempt to teach through "playing" with Winnicott (play being central to Winnicott's ideas) and engaging the reader to join in the play. The book is based on a series of lectures from a course on Winnicott he has given to his clinical psychology doctoral students at the City University of New York. The reviewer noted that the author omitted some information that she considered to be important. However, she concludes that this book is a compelling read that captures what she sees as the essence of Winnicott's work, and as Winnicott would have loved, presents it without jargon or pretense in the simple terms that best elucidate Winnicott's view of the human experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).