ABSTRACT
In “The use of an object”, Winnicott introduces the notion of the survival of the object. The issue of mourning a lost object is a problem that has been covered in previous chapters, but not the qualities of an object that survives and is recognized as such. This recognition makes it part of the external world. Winnicott attributes to survival as he defines it the quality of usefulness. The object is useful because it escapes the omnipotence attached to internal objects and is therefore endowed with qualities that are also beyond the individual’s potential. Thus the object is useful and therefore dependable. This view is Winnicott’s singular contribution to psychoanalysis. This chapter discusses Winnicott’s theory and its implications.
