ABSTRACT
Psychoanalytic infant observation was developed from 1948 onwards by Esther Bick at the Tavistock Clinic in London to enable child psychotherapy trainees to learn about normal development. Infant observation takes place along a continuum with an observer trying to stay more in the role of observer than participant. The most distinctive feature of infant observation and the most profound reason for its value is learning about the psychic world of the baby as the object of observation. Observers need to develop a sensitivity to possible unconscious processes and the tentative process of hypothesis formation about what is happening, which Bick stressed, carrying over concepts from analysis such as transference and countertransference to describe situations in infant observation. The chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book traces the evolving practice of infant observation, indicating significant developments of infant observation as a method within psychoanalytic training as well as its transformational potential.
