Maturing as defence: a psychoanalytical reflection on Ferenczi’s and Winnicott’s Works

This study aims to investigate the notion of maturing as defense, based on Ferenczi’s “wise baby” metaphor and Winnicott’s “false self” concept. It discusses the relationship between maturation processes and the dimension of care during the early childhood years, emphasizing the psychic repercussions of the traumatic progression.

Maturing; Ferenczi; Winnicott; psychoanalysis