Melanie Klein, The Mother Of Object Relations

Early childhood is the most important phase of development in one’s lifespan as the experiences during childhood sets the course for later stages of development. It has been noted that a mother’s actions during pregnancy may influence the development of an infant. The developmental influences include prenatal, perinatal and neonatal environments. (Santrock, 2002) Although babies come into the world with no say or control over which family they will be placed into, or the environment in which they will begin to live in, theorists agree that the first two years are crucial, with early emotional, physical and social development influenced by the infant’s biological and environmental factors (Sigelman, Rider, & De-George Walker, 2013). The

According to Winnicott, there are three stages in infant development. In stage one, undifferentiated unity, the child must feel connected to the mother. The mother fulfils this need through feeding, bathing and holding the child. In doing so, the child feels all powerful, and incomplete control of the mother. Their every need is met, and they want for nothing. However, Winnicott warns that if a mother fails to respond adequately to the child’s needs, this will hinder the development of healthy future relationships, including the relationship with one self.

With confidence and new-found strength, it led past fears to be temporarily relinquished. Like many who are in a constant push and pull of emotions, he discovered the strength of his being in an unrelenting world. He wanted to feel he was worthy and able to contend with the unforgiving world with her love. A mother’s love provides sanctity in the soul of a child and encourages self growth, allowing a child to become independent and to feel content with their place in the world. A child who grows into a confident adult is capable of coping with obstacles in life. Without this important trait, a child is forced to face the world uncertain of what the future holds and lacking the attachment every child deserves.

As infants develop they learn and experience emotions in a predictable order. Somewhere between birth and 8 months infants are still so new to world that they have no knowledge of what is normal or what could be dangerous. Things that do occur just seem different, and not frightening. As an infant starts to become more developed and familiar with their surroundings and environment they feel safe and comfortable with parents,

The first experience that Baby has which causes her loss of innocence is her first exposure to the

The development of a child in the first year of life is extremely intense; in just 52 weeks’ an infant goes through major physical, cognitive and social and emotional developments.

An infant's anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when the infant becomes very upset at separation from the caregiver and both

Sometimes, the mothers rejected the infants cries of distress or half-heartedly comforted the infant. In response, the infants isolated themselves and the avoidant attachment relationship

The development of their emotions displays the conflict within their mind as shown when the mother started getting

His study involved several young children who had not had maternal care as infants and seemed unable to connect emotionally with their adoptive parents. He remarked that these children appeared to be suffering from “primary affect hunger,” which Levy defined as not only a hunger for affection, but for all the emotions that come with interacting with a mother every day. He asked the question “Is it possible that there results a deficiency disease of the emotional life, comparable to a deficiency of vital nutritional elements within the developing organism?” (Karen, 1998, 17).

Developmental Psychology has widened my perspective and knowledge of the nature of development from humans’ infancy to adolescence and emerging adulthood. Although I have learned about biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes and periods of development, I am especially interested in socioemotional development in infancy because it is the foundation for a child’s future development. That is to say, if children have a healthy socioemotional development from infancy, they will have a healthy life later on. By understanding the developmental process in infancy, I will be fully prepared when I have children or when my family’s members do.

“Just as a physical embryo needs its mother’s womb in which to grow, so the spiritual embryo needs to be protected by an external environment that is warm with love and rich in nourishment. When this is finally realized, adults will change their attitude toward children, for the image of a child as a spiritual being becoming incarnate not only stirs us but imposes upon us new responsibility.”

Mahler’s model of separation-individuation theorizes that after the first few weeks of infancy, in which the infant is either sleeping or barely conscious, the infant goes from a phase called normal-symbolic phase, in which it identifies itself as one with its mother within the larger environment (Margaret Mahler and the Separation-Individuation Theory). This then leads to the separation-individuation phase that includes several stages or sub-phases that influence the infant to distinguish itself from its mother, discovers its own identity, will, and individuality. According to Mahler, the normal symbiotic phase extends from the first signs of conscious awareness at four to six weeks until about five months of age. In the normal-symbiotic phase, the infant is now aware of its mother, but has no sense of individuality of its own. In the separation-individuation phase, the infant gets out of its ‘autistic shell” and slowly begins to connect with its environment and with people in it. Separation refers to the development of limits and to the differentiation in the infants mind between the infant and the mother, whereas individuation refers to the development of the infant’s ego, sense of identity, and cognitive abilities (Margaret Mahler and the Separation-Individuation Theory).

Building on Freud’s theory, Klein (1959) theorised that the infant experiences anxiety in its’ first few months of life and deals with it by splitting and projective identification. The internal persecutory anxiety is projected onto the breast and

The relationship between a mother and a child is birthed simultaneously with the child’s entry into the world. The child takes its first breath of life and displays the initial dependent human longing for protection and love in the presence of a mother. As the mother is everything a child needs when it is born, the mother also only needs the child in that moment. That bond is more precious than anything in the world, which is why every mother tries to have her children as close to her as she can. Every mother loves her child. They can argue, discuss intensely, the can even fight, but at the end of the day, a mother will always love her child. Because of the love, a mother has for her child; it is hard for her to let go.