Neville Symington (3 July 1937 - 3 December 2019) was a member of the Middle Group of British Psychoanalysts which argues that the primary motivation of the child is object-seeking rather than drive gratification.
A former priest, Symington in his later writings returned to an exploration of religion alongside that of the mystical elements in psychology.
[8] Symington declared that "[Psychoanalysis] is a natural religion but not a revealed one",[9] its goal of arriving at the depressive position being an inherently moral one.
[16] Symington maintained that "truth in psychoanalysis emerges between the analyst and the patient and...demands that a preconception is abandoned in both".
[17] Neville Symington regards the emotional life of individual woman and man as central for its well-being and relation to others.
Symington believes that envy, greed and jealousy are problematic when not accepted within the person, because they tend to create a toxic inner and outer situation, when not embraced inside oneself.
Jeanette Winterson found the plainness and straightforwardness of Symington's writing style offered something of a framework for her mid-life journey through madness.