A Self More Alive to Sleep: On Winnicott’s Hatred of the Impossible Profession of Teaching

Abstract: What might Winnicott’s hatred of the impossible profession of teaching teach us? In this paper, I explore how hatred is not just at play in teaching, but vital to making contact with the self. Conceptual links are made between Winnicott’s own experiences with teaching, particularly his proneness to fall asleep in front of his students, and his work on hate, the primacy of aggression, and vitality rooted in the body. The implication is drawn that in order to find a way of being and relating in the classroom that protects the “incommunicado core” of the self, hate must be invited in. Conversely, teaching devoid of hate is a recipe for eventual breakdown.