Playing and ultimate reality: Dialectics of experience in Jung and Winnicott (Carl Jung, D. W. Winnicott)

In their theoretical works, C. G. Jung and D. W. Winnicott describe how living a healthy, creative life is contingent on an ability to access or embody an intermediate area of experiencing that occurs or exists between two factors---whether between subject and object, conscious and unconscious, or ego and archetype. Contemporary psychoanalytic theory describes this area and related processes in terms of the decentered nature of subjectivity and dialectical modes of experience. This study compares and contrasts the work of Jung and Winnicott with reference to these concepts, demonstrating that both theories can be understood as viewing subjectivity as a decentered, dialectical construct that takes shape through a process of interplay between subjective and objective factors.; Despite commonalities in their areas of emphasis, the premises that each theorist uses and the perspectives they generate are highly disparate. Working in response to a Freudian/Kleinian tradition, Winnicott describes the interplay that comprises subjective experience in terms of potential space, a developmentally achieved dialectical mode that constitutes a third area of experience, one that is neither internal nor external. Jung's theories have their most important source in his personal life and experience. He focuses on the archetypal roots of this interplay, describing how individuals can facilitate an innate dialectical process that can lead to psychic growth.; The fact that Jung and Winnicott each arrive at their views on subjective processes via such distinct theoretical systems means that their thoughts cannot be clearly compared on a conceptual level. However, when examined to some extent abstracted from their premises, these views of subjective experience can be understood as complementary. Winnicott's developmentally created space and Jung's archetypally based processes and practices are both attempts to communicate a vision of psychological health and well-being that is based in a notion of embodying or relating to dialectical interplay. Comparing and contrasting these conceptions generates a broader view of optimal subjective experience, suggesting a Jungian-Winnicottian picture of what it means to live well.