ABSTRACT
This short paper outlines the development of aggression in childhood in the context of relationships which, when all goes well, enable the transformation from action to communication. My approach is rooted in a psychoanalytic understanding of normal development, emphasizing the interaction between the infant and young child’s evolving internal world, and that of the parents (caregivers). In line with Yakeley’s multi-dimensional viewpoint (Yakeley, 2010, p. 24), the role of trauma and loss, the capacity for representation and mentalization, unconscious fantasy, and the defensive system are also considered.
