ABSTRACT
In D. W. Winnicott’s thesis, the antisocial tendency indicates that the infant had experienced a good-enough environment during the time of absolute dependence that was subsequently lost. Winnicott’s discovery that the antisocial tendency was a sign of hope evolved from his work during the Second World War, when he became Consultant Psychiatrist for the Government Evacuation Scheme in a reception area outside London. The antisocial tendency as a concept is relevant not only to evacuees during the war, but to society and to all individuals who have not experienced a strong holding environment at crucial stages of their emotional development. The understanding that the antisocial act is an expression of hope is vital in the treatment of children who show the antisocial tendency. The child/adolescent displaying an antisocial tendency has lost the sense of omnipotence and the necessary environment to fuse "aggressive motility roots" with the libidinal roots.
