ABSTRACT
This chapter explores ways in which oedipal theory can be used to inform or develop the understanding of D. W. Winnicott's model, in particular extending his ideas about the role of paradox. It suggests that the psychological achievement in the oedipal situation, with its pivotal impact on the capacity to be alone, corresponds to a distinct capacity for paradox giving rise to a distinct kind of potential space. W. R. Bion's concepts have now extended to a consideration of the role of the father and the psychological experience of threeness. The chapter also suggests that the paradox in the oedipal situation is the experience of exclusion and not-exclusion from the parents' relationship: it is the paradox of twoness and threeness. The Oedipus complex, as a normal part of human development, can become a pathological defence organization that defends against the paradox of oedipal potential space.
