ABSTRACT
Makoto Tsumori (1926-2018) is one of the pioneers in developmental psychology and early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Japan. Throughout his life he worked with children and established his own ECCE philosophy, which is characterised by deep respect for children. The present author reexamines Tsumori’s philosophy using his case study to show its relationship to Jungian psychology.
His ECCE philosophy took its mature form in the 1970s, when he began to commit himself to the ECCE practice with handicapped children. He wished to decipher children’s symbolic expressions that cannot be understood on a conscious level, so he turned to phenomenological and psychotherapeutic literature for resources. Jung’s work has helped him transform himself as a researcher and practitioner deeply involved in his work with children.
Tsumori’s philosophy has much in common with Jungian psychology, in the following ways: they share a dynamic viewpoint on human development, a mutual relationship with and deep respect for children, an orientation towards the unconscious meaning of children’s expression, and the experience of transformation as researchers and practitioners. Sharing insights from researches and practices in different fields, ECCE philosophy and Jungian psychology, can enrich their knowledge together in understanding mutually transformative relationship.
