The need for something more than a secure base: is a secure base always enough?

Abstract

The meaning of the secure base is explored in both clinical and theoretical terms. Bowlby's explanation of infant development is contrasted with Winnicott's conceptualisation of the merged newborn infant and mother. Winnicott gives an account of the infant's sense of fragmentation prior to developing a sense of cohesion and the mother's vital role in this development. The author suggests that in Bowlby's description of infant development there is an absence of this stage of development. The author argues for greater understanding and clarification of the term secure base and draws parallels between the creation of the secure base between m/other and infant, and that created between psychotherapist and analysand. It is further proposed that if one adheres to Winnicott's theory that as greater cohesion is experienced by the patient there can also be greater recognition and felt experience of fragmentation, it therefore follows that the creation of a secure base also means increased risk.