ABSTRACT
'The biological birth of the human infant and the psychological birth of the individual are not coincident in time. The former is a dramatic, observable, and well-circumscribed event; the latter a slowly unfolding intra psychic process.'Thus begins this highly acclaimed book in which the author and her collaborators break new ground in developmental psychology and present the first complete theoretical statement of the author's observations on the normal separation-individuation process. Separation and individuation are presented in this major work as two complementary developments. Separation is described as the child's emergence from a symbiotic fusion with the mother, while individuation consists of those achievements making the child's assumption of his own individual characteristics. Each of the sub-phases of separation-individuation is described in detail, supported by a wealth of clinical observations which trace the tasks confronting the infant and his mother as he progresses towards achieving his own individuality.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|36 pages
Separation-Individuation in Perspective
part II|84 pages
On Human Symbiosis and the Subphases of the Separation-Individuation Process
part III|74 pages
Five Children's Subphase Development
part IV|36 pages
Summary and Reflections
part Appendices|41 pages
The Data Analysis and Its Rationale: A Case Study in Systematic Clinical Research