ABSTRACT
Winnicott’s concepts of true self—the self which is hidden away and largely unknown—and false self—the self we present to the world—have had an enormous influence on our thinking and understanding of our inner lives and outer presentations. The true self gives us a more appealing way to address the unconscious self than the id-derived drive concepts of Freudian theory. The false self places a different emphasis on adapting to the outside world than do the Freudian concepts of ego and superego. Implications of these concepts are explored in reference to the analyst’s countertransference that becomes a signpost to uncover the patient’s true self and to clarify how the false self interferes with the analyst’s ability to fully understand the patient.
