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Science Forum Index » Psychology - Theory Forum » Effects of a lack of constant parent presence with a baby
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| MS |
 Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:40 am |
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Guest
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Hi,
My mother, who has been a psychotherapist for over 25 years, and who has a
postgrad diploma from Oxford University and a masters in psychoanalysis,
confidently says that a lack of a 'constant parent presence' for the first
few years of a child's life can be very damaging. She says there have been
many studies into this, that it is accepted as fact, and she can be quite
'militant' about young mothers returning to work while leaving the baby in
daycare (where there might be 20 babies looked after by 2 or 3 people). My
saying 'young mothers' is unfair, a 'constant parent presence' would be
better phrasing; someone -ideally a parent- whom the baby knows, but a
grandparent or even a consistent full-time nanny would serve the same purpose.
She was unable to give me a satisfactory answer when I asked her how it is
known that 'a lack of a 'constant parent presence' for the first few years
of a child's life can be very damaging', other than to say there have been
many studies into the issue.
What I would like answered is how do you determine that it was a lack of a
'constant parent presence' that has caused problems? Children are exposed
to so many new experiences over so many years, with so varied types of
parental or other care, that it seems to me very hard to pinpoint one
aspect of their care as being THE cause of psychological damage or less
desirable personality traits. Constructing experiments in the way of one
of the natural sciences is, of course, impossible.
Can someone explain to me how the studies she mentioned came to the
conclusion that a lack of a 'constant parent presence' for the first few
years of a child's life can be damaging?
Thanks and regards, etc.,
MS |
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