The Mother- Child Dyad

When an infant comes into the world the first contact is with the “mother”. The “mother” plays a central role in the infant’s development. By development it is both the physical and psychological development. The infant goes through a myriad of feelings and it is very vital for the mother to be able to contain all those feelings which are being projected by the infant. By providing a “holding environment” the mother gives a sense of security and comfort to the growing infant. This holding is the “physical holding” by the mother as well as the “psychological holding”.

Another important mental activity that the “mother” engages with the baby is the art of “mirroring”. Mirroring is the ability to respond back to the child. For example, when the mother and baby are playing and the baby looks at the mother and smiles the mother would reciprocate the smile back.

 The baby starts to develop a sense of self through the “mother”.  In the early years of infancy there is no such differentiation in the infant’s mind between himself/ herself and the mother. They believe they are one “unit”. Gradually as the infant starts to grow and begins to get a sense of his/ her surroundings and the fact that the mother is a separate entity and is located in the external world the concept of the “I” start to emerge and with that develops the “other”. This recognition is a major milestone in the psychological makeup of the infant. The “mother” in the external world begins to get internalized into the child’s mind. This process of internalization is very important. The baby then does not then always need the “mother” to be physically present as he/ she has that internal image of the “mother” in his/ her mind. This “mother” is not an ideal mother and at times does fail to gratify the infant’s needs. This failure is a healthy sort of a failure as it teaches the infant the impingements by reality.

When the infant is in its first six months of infancy he/ she tends to have a split image of this “mother” in the external world i.e. the mother is seen as all good and a benevolent figure as opposed to the bad mother who does not gratify the baby’s needs. The baby actually believes that there are two separate mothers. Gradually as the infant starts to grow he/ she starts to process that fact that it is the same mother who at times is caring and nurturing and also unable to satiate his/ her needs. 

This integration that happens is a very important development that takes place at a psychological level. The failure of this integration can later on lead to pathologies and neurosis in adulthood.