Abstract: | The concept of concern has received very little attention in the psychoanalytic literature. Aside from Winnicott's "The Development of the Capacity for Concern" (1963), based on Kleinian approach, the subject has scarcely been addressed from an empirical or theoretical standpoint. Here an attempt is made to consider the concept from the perspective of 2 object relations theories that have come out against the classical approach: attachment theory and Suttie's theory. The paper also looks at Winnicott's thinking on the subject, from association with guilt to association with joy, as well as the association with intersubjective approaches. There follows a discussion of 4 points: motivation, nature versus nurture, time of appearance, and the object. Finally, several points are raised regarding related interpersonal and intrapersonal issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |