ABSTRACT
Subjective constitution and mental health: Winnicott's contributions. Towards the emotional suffering observed in contemporary psychoanalytic practice, this article discusses the implications of initial inter-human relationships for the subjective constitution. Based on Winnicott's psychoanalytic references, the paper presents some reflections that contemplate the dimensions of mental health and illness from a relational psychopathological perspective. The psychic suffering discussed arises from possible traumatic experiences in the midst of the mother-infant relationship, which may lead the individual to a confusing experience, or even to the impossibility of gestating his/her own psychic birth. The conclusion is that the Winnicott's paradigm has contributed in an original way to the field of mental health, enabling differential clinical managements.
Keywords
Mother-infant relationship; psychic constitution; Winnicott; psychic suffering; mental health