The role of the mirror in Children Development

The Role of the Mirror in Children Development

At what period of human development does a person have the sense of self-recognition ? It does not only involve self-recognition per se but prior to this , immense processes abound such as the separation-individualization phase or the creation of the self , etc Abundant early infant research developments have given enough attention to explore the previously bedazzled area of interest- the self ' Much of the emphasis centered around the relationship between the mother and the infant . In psycho-analytic paradigm , everything that happens is under one

's ego-control . Ego for Freud symbolizes the formation of one 's self identity . Hence , no trauma is actually beyond one 's omnipotence (Winnicott , 586 . Freud used the word infant as a child under a crtical period of development until he passed the Oedipus complex stage (Winnicott , 587 . It would be safe to utilize the definition by Winnicott in his , which refers to the etymology of the word (infans ) which means `not talking ' Infants are still on the process of ego-formation and this is greatly affected by the type of the relationship they have with their parents , specifically with their mothers . At this type of formation , integration is the core aspect of development . Moreover , the id-forces screech for attention and approval In the beginning these are out of the infant 's range . But soon , in a healthy way of infant 's development the id- finds its way inferior to the ego as the latter masters it . Every satisfaction of the id amplifies the ego . In infants who have infantile psychosis , their id remain external to their ego and pose threatening effect to the ego structure which triggered the organization of psychotic qualities (Winnicott 588 . A healthy infant who is able to form an ego that is able to master his id owes much to the maternal care he is getting . The mother 's ego is the one that initiates and supports the infant 's ego formation and the ego itself . But it is worthy to note that a well-formed ego is manifested by a child who is able to show a sense of independence from his mother and that when the ego is well-formed , a sense of self identity which is different from that of his mother 's is present

Since an infant is not yet capable of controlling everything that happens around him , he greatly relies on the maternal care . The behavior of an adult is greatly affected by the type of mother-infant relationship he had when he was still an infant . Pine (326 ) points out that the mother 's discerning responses to the child 's actions or behaviors strengthen some of these behaviors and in so doing prop up an identity . Interwoven in the process of ego formation is the process of mirroring and the mother as the mirror to an infant (which is to be discussed below

Mother-Child Interaction

Aside from the biological birth of an infant or the actual birth experience , there is a second...