What happens to the thinking of a thinker who refuses a discipleship? This book attempts to answer this question in relation to D. W. Winnicott and the evolution of his thinking. He eschewed a following, privileging the independence of his thinking and fostering the same in others. However Winnicott's thinking exerts a growing influence in areas including psychoanalysis, psychology, and human development. This book looks at the nature of Winnicott's thought and its influence. It first examines the development of Winnicott's thinking through his own life time (first generation) and then continues this exploration by viewing the thinking in members of the group with a strong likelihood of influence from him; his analysands (second generation) and their analysands (third generation).

Introduction -- The Evolution of Winnicott's Thinking -- Winnicott's own maturational process and facilitating environment -- The evolution of Winnicott's thinking on thinking and on influence -- Winnicott's Analytic "Children" -- Marion Milner -- Enid Balint -- Masud Khan -- Margaret Little -- Harry Guntrip -- A summary of Winnicott's thinking evolving in that of his analytic "children" -- Winnicott's Analytic "Grandchildren" -- Enid Balint's analytic "children": Juliet Hopkins, Jennifer Johns, and Juliet Mitchell -- Masud Khan's analytic "children": Christopher Bollas and Adam Phillips -- Marian Milner's analytic "children": Pearl King and Andreas Giannakoulas -- Margaret Little's analytic "child": Ralph Layland -- A summary of the evolution of Winnicott's thinking in that of his analytic "grandchildren" -- Conclusion -- Chronology of Winnicott's thinking with characteristics and facilitative features -- Content analysis