Deprivation and Delinquency

This little book should be required reading for everyone who works with kids who have serious behavior problems. Winnicott was a pediatrician and psychoanalyst who had many years of close, intimate contact with families, especially families of troubled children. He makes a convincing case that children who steal, lie, destroy property, assault others, etc. are attempting to compensate for early separation/loss of an important caregiver. He views such behaviors as attempts to coerce the environment into taking notice and "containing" the child. As such, these behaviors are "hopeful", and are viewed as the child's efforts to reclaim the satisfactions that were lost -- to take back what once was theirs. Children who had adequate care that was lost are the children Winnicott suggests become anti-social. There are numerous vignettes of his personal experiences in trying to treat delinquent kids. He makes a compelling argument for early loss as a decisive factor in later delinquent acts. Although he ultimately felt that "treatment" was only possible after an extended period of "containment", he maintained his conviction that these kids have sustained losses too dreadful for them to think about. He was a good-humored and compassionate clinician with an enduring belief in the profound importance of the child's early relationships. People who work with delinquent kids may just find that Winnicott's understanding of children helps them hang on when the going gets tough. I treasure this book. Another great Winnicott book is "Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry", an out-of-print classic.