Psychosomatic Disorder in Winnicott: Between Psychosomatic Existence and Personalization

Abstract

The psychosomatic disorder in Winnicott's work is defined by the author as a powerful defensive system made up of splits and dissociations. It arises from environmental failures that culminate in insufficiently good care. We intend to define psychosomatic disorder based on the distinction between psychosomatic existence and personalization, pointing out its nuances and possible contradictions. Winnicott oscillates between making psychosomatic existence correspond to personalization and suggesting that it is a precondition for it. The notion of personalization, also called psychosomatic integration, is defined as a fundamental task of primitive emotional development. The personalization corresponds to the accommodation of the psyche in the sum and requires the presence of certain maternal care. It is a theoretical and conceptual research, which carried out a detailed and critical reading of the material. It was guided by hermeneutics, chosen as an interpretation tool for data analysis. The conclusion is that there is a differentiation between psychosomatic existence, as a basic condition of maturation, and personalization, as a developmental achievement, which can lead to a better understanding of psychosomatic disorder in Winnicott.