This research explores the transformation process of the capacity to be alone from the period of absolute dependence to the time when the capacity to be alone becomes a sign of maturity in emotional development. Conducted via a qualitative approach, the research is structured in two successive phases. The first clinical-theoretical phase is based on observations made in a mother-and-child home (an institution hosting mother-baby dyads) and an in-depth study of Winnicottian texts. From the analysis of these writings and observations, the transformation of the capacity to be alone is presented as a theoretical proposition. The second theoretical-clinical phase is developed from life stories collected from some of the mothers residing at the mother-and-child home. This biographical approach aims to discuss and further develop the theoretical proposition constructed in the previous phase.
Riez, N. (2024). La solitude comme capacité. Exploration du processus de transformation de la capacité d’être seul. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/217131