The Transitional Object as a Precursor to Strong Anticipation

This paper presents Winnicott's transitional objects and potential spaces as precursors to Dubois' endo-anticipation (anticipation of a system's behaviour which is established by or embedded in this very system). Transitional objects, phenomena and processes belong neither to the inside nor to the outside : they are interfaces which partake in both but are of an ephemeral nature. However, their meaning and function survive as internalized structures. When this happens strong anticipation governs, as the system has internalized a model of the potential space between inside and outside and is able to experience a shared reality as a true individual.