ABSTRACT
The optimal containing object is a transformer of raw experiences that cannot acquire psychic status. It creates the conditions for the emergence of thought and supports the development of an infant’s capacity to think. It is internalized by infants, as an internal container.
The external container must have several qualities: it must offer a protected space, support a primary concern, present an adequate rhythmicity, be capable of affective attunement, actively solicit, be usable, couple maternal and paternal functions in a psychic biparentality, and comprehend the infant’s experiences using an operating alpha function.
