Examining the relationship of C. S. Peirce’s semiotic and D. Winnicott’s transitional phenomena and playing

Abstract

First, it is considered how the possibilities of relationships between Peirce’s philosophy and psychoanalysis have been the subject of papers by philosophers and psychoanalysts. The conceptions of Donald Winnicott about transitional objects, transitional phenomena and playing are pointed out as of particular interest for the study of these relationships, due to their links with Peirce’s philosophy. Then, it is indicated how Winnicott refers to the relations of symbolization (not in Peircean terms) with the objects and transitional phenomena and how a “full understanding” of the processes of symbolization could contribute to the knowledge of those phenomena. We examine how Peirce’s semiotic has elements that help understanding what is called “symbolization” by Winnicott. In this way also allowing the discrimination of the semiotic aspects present in the transitional objects, transitional phenomena and playing; thus expanding on some dimensions of the meaning of Winnicott’s conceptions. These issues are further illustrated in the clinical cases of “Edmund” and “Diana”, related by Winnicott and in two other clinical situations presented by the author.