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Psychological omnipotence is the feeling of being almighty, all powerful, and irresistible. This may occur as non clinical episodic flashes in everyday life at moments of emotional intensity but can be of clinical significance when associated with mania and personality disorder.
Subjective omnipotence[]
In the early 20th century, Donald Winnicott described "subjective omnipotence" as a stage of early childhood development.[1] When a baby cries and a caregiver appears, the baby believes it has the power to make caregivers appear, not realizing that the caregivers are in control of their own actions.
As the brain develops and the caregivers begin to regain a bit of their own lives, the young child faces objective reality. They learn that they don't control everything and that other people exist independently of their desires. Winnicott calls this the transitional experience. Transitional objects (aka security blankets) can make this process easier.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Ehrlich, R. (2021). Winnicott’s Idea OF The False Self: Theory as Autobiography. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 69(1), 75-108. https://doi.org/10.1177/00030651211001461