Winnicott goes to the movies: the false self in Ordinary People

Winnicott's theories of development, while appearing metaphorical and impressionistic, actually offer a remarkably consistent explanation for pathological character formation as an outcome of environmental failure. He suggested that faulty mothering can lead to a chain of disturbing internal psychic events that necessitate a reorganization in the child. A major pathological resolution is the formation of a false self and false self bonds. Winnicott's recommendations for treating the crippling effects of the early traumata proceed logically from his concepts of developmental pathology. The film, Ordinary People, offers a way of understanding the tragedy and then the hope stemming from the application of Winnicott's concepts.