ABSTRACT

This chapter begins to address the issue of rejection of dependent relationships in the context of 'infant observation'. This particular approach to the study of child development was introduced into the curriculum of the Child Psychotherapy Course at the Tavistock Clinic in 1948 by Esther Bick. The author gives brief information about the methodology of infant observation and then quotes some examples drawn from actual observations. He focuses on the observation of a 'poor feeder'. Students observe a baby from birth to two years of age once a week for one hour on the same day of the week. Beyond the initial meeting, the observer's non-intrusive role generally becomes increasingly clear to the parents during the observation. Parents' expectations about having an expert on their premises providing advice, or parents' anxieties about being judged in their role, can, it is hoped, be gradually counteracted or dispelled by the observer's attitude and behaviour.