ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the issues of violence towards babies and of violence from babies, including how violence may develop, may manifest itself, and, finally, how it may be understood. There are three main types of violence that are of relevance during the early stage of development: Exploring the theme of babies not only as victims of violence, but also as those who subject parents, siblings, and others to their violence, is a complex matter. Parents and professionals often do not, or cannot, see the early signs of disturbance in infants, and therefore valuable signals from the baby are missed. The caregiving provided by parents influences the baby’s development, and vice versa—that is, the personality or make-up of the baby also influences the caregiving. Often the negative characteristics in a baby are attributed to conflicting projections coming from the parents, rather than from the individual babies themselves.
