ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to help the understand the private subjective meaning that a child carries for a parent. This is essential in assessing why deviant interactions develop, and in supporting healthy development. While objective studies of interaction describe the "how" of relationships, studies of the subjective side of interactions provide the "whys." The parental contributions to these imaginary interactions can usually be identified through what parents say about the child, about becoming a parent, and about their emotional life in general. The baby's contributions to imaginary interactions are just as important, but they are very difficult to tap, because young children start to reveal their thoughts through play and words only during the second year. The chapter discusses certain of the mechanisms behind these interactions, and describes some of the turbulent scenarios in which they are played out.
