Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of 2009 Curriculum Studies the Creative Student: A Winnicottian Literary Analysis Stephanie Leigh Perry Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Recommended Citation Perry, Stephanie Leigh, "Curriculum Studies the Creative Student: A Winnicottian Literary Analysis" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 582. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/582 This dissertation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CURRICULUM STUDIES THE CREATIVE STUDENT: A WINNICOTTIAN LITERARY ANALYSIS by STEPHANIE LEIGH GRIMES PERRY (Under the Direction of Marla Morris) ABSTRACT Generalizations are made regarding the importance of creativity because creativity is considered to be the hallmark that sets humans apart from other animals. Creativity is a highly coveted gift that allows people the outlet by which to achieve greater joy, fulfillment, and meaning in their lives. However, relatively little is known about the origins of creativity and how to achieve greater creativity. Hoping to improve the quality of life of individuals and society, this dissertation examines the creativity that first springs up between a child and parent. In researching the relationship between children and parents, I draw heavily from the theories of Dr. Donald W. Winnicott, an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst who lived from 1896 to 1971. Winnicott’s experience with children enabled him to develop many innovative and lasting contributions to psychoanalytic theory, including his transitional object and potential space theories, which explain the first creative act of a child using its imagination to create his or her reality. In addition to Winnicott, I utilize the works of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, James Hillman, Marion Milner, Hanna Segal, Michael Parsons, Michael Eigen, Christopher Bollas, and Adam Phillips, who have theorized psychoanalytic principles of creativity and who comprise the first body of literature. The second body of literature that addresses the curriculum aspects of creativity includes Maxine Greene, Madeleine Grumet, Marla Morris, Mary Aswell Doll, Deborah Britzman, and Martha Nussbaum. These authors are directly concerned with sparking creativity and imagination through literature in students. Witnessing firsthand transitional phenomena in my own children, I see the offshoots of transitional phenomena in my language arts classroom. In the curriculum studies field, much has been written about the relationships between students and teachers, but much more needs to be explored as to the beginning relationship between parent and child. Further, the connection between this first relationship between mother and child and its affects on a child’s remaining formal education needs to be examined more completely. My contribution to the field of Curriculum Studies is to address the earliest relationship between parents and children and theorize how this initial relationship affects the continued education of children today. This work examines the connection between the first transitional phenomena that occur between the child and parents and the subsequent ability of the child to use transitional phenomena through language arts to enhance the ability to live creatively. INDEX WORDS: Adolescence, Alexander Calder, Autobiographical, Childhood, Creativity, Cultural experience, Curriculum theory, Donald W. Winnicott, Education, Fantasy, Good-enough mother, Holding environment, Illusion, Infancy, John Dewey, Literary criticism, Literature, Mothering, New criticism, Parenting, Playfulness, Potential space, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Reader-response theory, Schooling, School violence, Self-formation, Students, Subjectivity, Teaching, Transitional object, Transitional phenomena. 2 CURRICULUM STUDIES THE CREATIVE STUDENT: A WINNICOTTIAN LITERARY ANALYSIS by STEPHANIE LEIGH GRIMES PERRY B.S., North Georgia College, 1985 M.Ed., Albany State University, 1997 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION STATESBORO, GEORGIA 2009 3 © 2009 Stephanie Leigh Grimes Perry All rights Reserved 4 CURRICULUM STUDIES THE CREATIVE STUDENT: A WINNICOTTIAN LITERARY ANALYSIS by STEPHANIE LEIGH GRIMES PERRY Major Professor: Marla Morris Committee: John Weaver Daniel Chapman Mary Aswell Doll 5 DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my husband—Greg—and to my children—Ali, Chad, Katie, and Kyle. 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Georgia Southern University’s Curriculum Studies Program has broadened my thinking, reasoning, research, and writing skills. This is what I sought from a doctoral program. Further, the program encourages students to reflect upon their own personal interests; this requires a historical, or autobiographical framework. The more individual ideas and forces interact, the livelier the conversation becomes. The alternative is eventual death. Jean-Francois Lyotard (1984) proposes to combat death with a: system [that] can and must encourage such movement to the extent that it combats its own entropy; the novelty of an unexpected “move,” with its correlative displacement of a partner or group of partners, can supply the system with that increased performativity it forever demands and consumes. (p. 15) The field of curriculum studies supplies the breadth and depth necessary to keep educational conversation lively and diverse. In particular, I am grateful to Dr. Marla Morris, Dr. John Weaver, Dr. Daniel Chapman, and Dr. Mary Aswell Doll for reinforcing my scholarly research, my autobiographical perspective, and my unique contribution to the field of curriculum studies. Additionally, I am indebted to D. W. Winnicott for his insights into psychoanalysis, especially his transitional object and potential space theories. With my professors’ encouragement and the writings of Winnicott, my goal is to prioritize students’ emotional health by encouraging creative literary processes in the classroom using Winnicott’s psychoanalytic theories as a framework for studying the psyche and educational creative processes. 7 The person most responsible for allowing me the freedom to pursue my research and writing is my husband, Greg, who took over a major portion of the household responsibilities for the five and a half years it has taken me to complete my studies. He was also my principal encourager and sounding board off which to bounce ideas. Next, I want to thank my children, Ali, Chad, Katie, and Kyle, all subjects whom I write about. I would not have the insights into education, creativity, and psychoanalysis if it were not for the continuous daily interaction that I have with these amazing people. I am grateful to my parents who raised me in a good-enough environment that provided an emotional, physical and an intellectual atmosphere which instilled a desire to discover, to create, and to work hard. I also acknowledge the unconditional love and support from my sisters, Shane Arther, Jennifer Hall, Rebecca King-Abrahamson, and Laura Jones. They encouraged me by questions and interests in my dissertation. Shane and Rebecca read several portions, offering editorial and literary advice, which I greatly appreciate. My sisters are wonderful examples of creative living discussed in this dissertation. I thank my uncle, Ross, who had short notice and little time to edit most of my chapters. This was a huge task, and I could not have completed it on time without his assistance. I am grateful to my good friend, Buffy Jobe, who encouraged me to complete my doctorate. I will always treasure the memories of our weekly drives to Savannah during the three years of course work. She is a shining example of the committed, creative, and caring teacher described throughout this work. Finally, I wish to thank my students; they have taught me, the teacher. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………….. 7 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….. 13 Lines of Thought Between Education and Psychoanalysis…..….. 13 Autobiographical Roots………………………………………..… 19 2 CURRICULUM THEORY AND LITERARY CRITICISM…………. 22 Historical Background of Curriculum and Literary Theory……… 34 Winnicott and Curriculum and Literary Theory…………………. 42 New Criticism Versus Rosenblatt’s Reader-response Theory..….. 50 Understanding Self Through Others……………………………… 53 Identifying Self Through Literature………………………………. 70 Effects of Technology on our Relationship with Literature………. 72 Aesthetics vs. Efferent Literature…………………………………. 73 Experiencing Self Through Fantasy……………………………….. 78 Bilbo, Frodo, and Me: My Identification with Literature…………. 79 Contributions of Psychoanalysis to Literature…………………….. 82 Winnicott’s Potential Space……………………………………….. 83 The Social Self in Literature………………………………………. 87 3 THE POWER OF PSYCHOANALYSIS………………………………. 90 In Denial…………………………………………………………… 92 The Need for Psychoanalysis……………………………………… 101 Childhood Need for Psychoanalysis………………………………. 104 9 Adolescent Needs for Psychoanalysis..…………………………… 108 Causes of School Violence………………………………………… 113 Psychoanalysis and Mythology in Life’s