Deprivation and Delinquency

Book excerpt: D. W. Winnicott (1896-1971) was one of the giants of child psychiatry and analysis. Whether writing or talking, he always argued eloquently for an increased sensitivity to children, their development and their needs. His books such as Playing and Reality and The Family and Individual Development, are now considered classics in the field of child development. Deprivation and Delinquency is an invaluable compilation of his papers, talks, letters and lectures between 1930 and 1970, centred on the theme of the relationship between antisocial behaviour, or more chronically delinquency, and childhood experiences of deprivation. Linking passages by the editors set the historical context for four sections focusing on children under stress, the nature and origin of antisocial tendency, the practical management of difficult children, and individual therapy with the antisocial personality.