ABSTRACT
D. W. Winnicott's theory of emotional development was principally stated in terms of the developing self. For him the concept of self while inseparable at one end of the scale from anatomy, physiology and biology, was, at the other end, essential in a full evaluation of what is meant by mental health in the human being. It is helpful to think of the ego as the organization of the infant that in time results in the self of everyday language: that is, in the sense of identity that comes with self-awareness. "Ego-psychology", wrote Winnicott, "only makes sense if based firmly on the fact of dependence". The actual physical helplessness of the human infant means that the sine qua non of the infants growth, both physical and emotional, is dependent upon a "facilitating environment" or "the maternal care which together with the infant forms a unit".
