Donald Woods Winnicott was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory

Object relations theory

Object relations theory is a psychodynamic theory within psychoanalytic psychology. The theory describes the process of developing a mind as one grows in relation to others in the environment....

. He was a leading member of the British Independent Group (psychoanalysis)

British Independent Group (psychoanalysis)

The Independent or Middle Group of British analysts represents one of the three distinct sub-schools of the British Psychoanalytic Society, and 'developed what is known as the British independent perspective, which argued that the primary motivation of the child is object-seeking rather than drive...

 of the British Psychoanalytic Society, and a close associate of Marion Milner

Marion Milner

Marion Milner , sometimes known as Marion Blackett-Milner, was a British author and psychoanalyst. Outside psychotherapeutic circles, she is better known by her pseudonym, Joanna Field, as a pioneer of introspective journaling.-Biography:...

. He is best known for his ideas on the true self and false self

True self and false self

True self and false self are terms introduced into psychoanalysis by D. W. Winnicott in 1960. Winnicott used the term "True Self" to describe a sense of self based on spontaneous, authentic experience, a sense of "all-out personal aliveness," or "feeling real."The "False Self" was, for Winnicott, a...

, and the transitional object. He wrote several books, including Playing and Reality, and over 200 papers.
Winnicott was born in Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

 to Sir John Frederick Winnicott, a merchant who was knighted in 1924 after serving twice as mayor of Plymouth, and his wife, Elizabeth Martha (Woods) Winnicott.

The family was prosperous and ostensibly happy, but behind the veneer, Winnicott saw himself as oppressed by his mother, who tended toward depression, as well as by his two sisters and his nanny.